The SecDef Cheats
by LosingInTranslation
Summary: Once again, NCIS and the FBI are butting heads. But this time Gibbs is taking it personal, as one of his old service buddies is the victim of a serial killer. Director Sheppard calls in a few favors so that NCIS can keep the case.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: NCIS and all characters do not belong to me, but I wanted to play with their storyline for a while. I also didn't see enough good Abby fic, so I decided to write one. 

Author's Note: Although this is a story in progress at the moment, I have about 5 chapters done already. Should be posting them pretty regularly and should be able to keep up with the new stuff by getting this head start. Thanks in advance for reading this one.

hr

They were running out of time, and very soon the FBI would be arriving at her office to forcibly remove their newest investigation from NCIS hands. When Agent McGee discovered the information about the other bodies, Director Sheppard knew they would not be able to keep Fornell and the rest of the feds away from her door for long. She only had one last ace up her sleeve to play. She just hoped it would work, and work fast.

Pressing the intercom button on her desk once more, she spoke into the microphone, "Have there been any calls from the SecNav's office, Louise?"

There was a slight pause before the woman on the other end of the intercom spoke, "Sorry, Madame Director, but nothing yet." The intercom went dead for a moment and then her assistant was calling her again, and this time she was not on speakerphone, "Madame Director, Special Agent Gibbs is here to see you. What would you like me to do?"

Jennifer Sheppard did not hesitate, "Thank you, Louise… Send Agent Gibbs in, please." She had sent for Jethro, after all… She had just hoped that she would have had good news by now. She hated giving Jethro bad news; especially bad news that involved the FBI.

When he entered the door, she could tell that he was irritated at having been summoned to her office, but this was one bit of news she wanted to tell him in private. "Jethro, before you say anything, please know that I have done everything in my power to prevent this, but I'm afraid that with Agent McGee's discovery, there is simply nothing I can do to stop it. I've gotten word from one of my contacts that Fornell is on his way over here to take jurisdiction over the GySgt. Furmansky case."

His face immediately filled to the top of his silver-head with a fiery crimson color, "Jenn, you gotta stall 'em. We just need more time."

"I know, which is why I have pulled out all the stops and called in every favor I could to keep this from happening, but the fact is that we simply do not have the same resources as the FBI when it comes to serials. They have a valid case for stepping in this time." She was just about to tell him everything she had done to prevent it from happening when the intercom on her desk started beeping. This was it… Section Chief Tobias Fornell was probably standing on the other side of that door with twenty agents ready to seize all of their hard fought work.

She reached for the button on her desk when the door to her office opened slightly and her assistant nervously poked her head through, "I'm terribly sorry, Madame Director, but it's getting ugly out here quick… You should probably come out here."

What Jennifer Sheppard found on the other side of her door was a lot more than she could have ever imagined. Gibbs was right behind her, obviously ready for a fight until he caught sight of the scene in front of them. Locked in heated debate was the Secretary of the Navy and Section Chief Fornell, each with their own people surrounding them.

The aging SecNav appeared to have his own ace up his sleeve, "Look, Fornell, you can squawk as much as you damn well please, but the fact of the matter is I have authorization from the Secretaries of Defense and Justice to command this investigation and they are getting their marching orders from the man himself, so you better just tuck your tail and get right on back to the Hoover Building before you find out just how scrappy this old salty dog really is, you backstabbing little weasel!" Gibbs could not help himself, but he had to stifle the chuckle that was demanding to escape his lips. He had not seen the SecNav this riled up since Desert Storm, and this was even worse than that.

"Special Agent Gibbs, good." The old man turned everyone's attention on him, "We have cleared the way for you to 'borrow' certain assets from the Pentagon. The Behavioral Sciences Division of the Department of Defense is now at your disposal for solving this horrific case. Your work in connecting the case of GySgt. Furmansky with that of the ongoing investigation of the FBI into this obvious serial killer case will not be in vain, Agent Gibbs. With a little help, I have no doubt that your people can make a proper case for finding GySgt. Furmansky's killer…" The SecNav then turned to stare Fornell down with his last statement, "And only THEN will Agent Gibbs hand over his case files to the FBI for inclusion in the serial murder case. Is that understood?"

Gibbs, knowing exactly when an officer was using him to make a point, "Crystal, Sir. And I should get back to those people so I can get this thing closed all that much faster, Sir." Gibbs gave the SecNav a quick salute and a snap of the heels before walking through the center of the two firing lines, which had gone completely silent.

He was stopped just before the door, "Good man… Agent Gibbs?"

"Aye, Sir?" Gibbs knew exactly how to play this game.

"I've got one of our best people on the way over from the Pentagon Building right now… Should be here any minute, I'm sure." The SecNav was still staring Fornell down, even though they all knew the fight was done.

"Aye, Sir. We'll get this one in the bag ASAP, Sir." And with that final jab, Gibbs was away from the scene that he knew was about to get started once more. Tobias was never one for backing down from a fight that easily, and Gibbs did not wish to be around when he pushed the SecNav's buttons once more.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Wow! I had no idea I'd wake up to reviews. Thanks for the encouragement. And no worries, I have a friend who will kill me if I don't finish this thing, so it will be done. 

I am something of a research junkie, so the details might get a little too technical from time to time. I encourage readers to let me know if I go too far with the details.

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"It's only a matter of time before good ole Fornell shows up with his little stickers and confiscates all of our hard earned work to steal the glory once again. You mark my words, McGee… Probably warming up the hand trucks as we speak." Tony had his feet propped up on his desk, as usual, and was preaching to his choir of colleagues about the evils of the FBI's finest. He was nodding his head and was about to continue when those around him suddenly took up defensive positions within their own cubicles as Gibbs came up behind Tony DiNozzo. "Good ole Fornell has screwed us out of enough cases already, so I'm not about to help him look good again. I'm just gonna sit back and-" THWACK! "OWWW! Boss, that hurt!" Tony said as he reached up to rub the spot Agent Gibbs had just smacked with this hand.

"It wasn't meant to tickle." Gibbs kept moving forward to his desk and sat down, looking out to the other agents, "Status Report?"

McGee was the first to speak up, "Ballistics was unable to find anything conclusive, beyond our initial analysis… Trace evidence is still processing, but Abby swears it will be ready within the hour, and she also wanted me to inform you that she has hidden copies of everything in a secret location should the, and I quote, 'little weasel show up again.'" McGee paused a moment when he noticed someone descending from the stairs of the executive tier: a fully starched female Marine Corps officer and she was carrying a piece of paper that looked oddly like the orders he had seen in many a case. The fair skinned blonde stopped to ask the first person she crossed a question, and that person pointed her over to the bullpen, and that was when McGee was rocked back into the conversation.

'MCGEE! Finish your report or get out of here. I don't have time for you to gawk at-"

"Sorry, Boss… I've also finished running checks for similarities to the scenes of the other murders and I found a few…" McGee stopped talking as the striking Marine Corps woman made her way to Gibbs.

She stood at attention and snapped a full on salute for Gibbs. "Sir, Major Cassidy reporting for duty, Sir!" She ceremoniously handed Gibbs the slip of paper she had carried in and Gibbs, not understanding the reason for this display, eyed the woman with a peculiar mixture of both curiosity and annoyance.

"What's with the salute, Major? You're the only officer here." Gibbs turned to reach behind him for his glasses, so he could read this paper.

"Sir, you are GySgt L. J. Gibbs, are you not, Sir?" The woman remained in full salute attention, and Gibbs was more than a little intrigued by the display.

"I was, once." Bringing his glasses up to his face, he turned back around and looked curiously at the officer from over the top of his glasses. "Why do you ask, Major?"

"Sir, proper protocol dictates that all highly decorated officers, commissioned or not, are to be treated with the same respect as an officer of a higher rank, Sir." The Major still remained at attention, waiting for the proper dismissal before returning to parade rest.

Jethro had to give the woman her due, she was carrying this thing to the hilt, and so he quickly returned her salute, "At ease, Maj. Cassidy… Besides, that's only protocol at the Academy and in the Pentagon, and we're in neither." He finally finished reading the slip of paper and understood that it was the officer's orders.

"Sir, I have spent my entire Marine Corps career in both of those places, Sir. So, I bring the protocols wherever I might be, Sir." She now stood at parade rest, but she was still the model of a perfect soldier.

Gibbs looked at her once more from over the top of his glasses, "Says here you have been ordered by the SecDef to 'avail the NCIS investigators of your MOS'… What is your MOS, Major Cassidy?"

She took a deep breath and then began, "Sir, I regret to inform you that I am not at liberty to divulge the actual definition of my Method of Service. My only comment, Sir, is that I am a member of the Behavioral Sciences Division of the Defense Department and I have been sent here to assist in your investigation by reviewing the evidence at hand and providing you with an accurate analysis of said data, Sir."

At this point, Gibbs' patience had reached its end and he quickly ripped his glasses off and threw them down on his desk, "Look Major, even when I was in the Corp, I was never a 'sir', and I don't care if you are a woman, if you don't knock it off, I'm gonna take a swing at you, got it?"

"S-… Agent Gibbs… You have my deepest apologies if I have offended you. I was deeply honored to have been assigned to the detail of such a highly decorated and well respected member of my Corps, S-Agent Gibbs and I meant no disrespect in my use of the salutation." The Major showed a concerted effort not to use the one term Gibbs finds offensive and it hit Gibbs that this woman obviously knew something about the old school respect the Corps once held and he was instantly sorry for having made such an issue of it.

He let all the air out of his lungs in a resigned rushed, "Nah, it's me who should be apologizing, Maj. Cassidy. You just have to remember that sergeants are kind of prickly about the whole 'sir' thing, since we earned everything we got… Which isn't to say you haven't, because I get the distinct impression you probably have… So, when did you graduate from the Academy?"

Relaxing her jawline a bit, and finally making eye contact with Gibbs, the Major looked much more at ease, and responded kindly, "Class of '92. Johns Hopkins, '93. George Washington, '95."

This little nugget intrigued McGee and he felt compelled to ask, "Ah, you also went to Johns Hopkins and GW? What did you study there?"

As the Major turned to see who was speaking to her, her regulation length strawberry blonde hair turned as well, and she waited for Gibbs to introduce her, "Uh, Maj. Cassidy, please meet Agent Timothy McGee, of MIT and Johns Hopkins."

She nodded her head at McGee and he uncomfortably returned the hand he had intended to offer her, "Sir, I received my Master's degrees in Behavioral Psychology and Advanced Forensic Criminology from Johns Hopkins and my PH.D in Analytical Human Behavioral Psychology from GW… I also have another advanced degree, but I am not at liberty to divulge that information at this time."

That last bit was more than Agent David was able to resist, and she stood to ask her own question, "Seems a great deal of what you do is 'classified', Maj. Cassidy. Why is that?"

The Major again looked to Gibbs before answering the question, "Maj. Cassidy, this is Special Agent Ziva David, on loan to us from the Israeli government, and part of this investigation."

She nodded just the same to Ziva before answering, while Ziva returned the gesture, "That would be correct, Agent David. And that is all I am at liberty to discuss at this time." And with that, the subject was closed.

Tony had been quietly observing the entire conversation, trying to stay low on Gibbs' radar, but also not wishing to waste any of his charm on the Marine Corps officer; not because of her being a Marine, but because of the first thing that caught Tony's attention the moment she snapped that salute: her wedding ring on the other hand.

Gibbs realized that he should also introduce the Major to DiNozzo and pointed towards his general direction, "And this is Agent Tony DiNozzo, Major. He is second lead on this team."

The Major once again nodded in the direction of the person she had been introduced to, "Well, Maj. Cassidy, while it is nice to have a little help on this case, I'm afraid it might be a case of too little, too late… See, the FBI is about to swoop in and take over. So, we won't be needing your 'services', whatever they might be."

The Major looked back to Gibbs with an entirely confused expression, "S-Agent Gibbs, I was under the impression that the SecDef had taken care of that and this was why I was being sent over… Has something changed, S-Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs shook his head back and forth as he placed the Major's orders on his desk and took his glasses from Ziva, who had retrieved them from the floor. "No, it hasn't, Major… I had just gotten back from that little scene when you came through the doors. Obviously, the SecNav thought things were already taken care of before he arrived here, but the FBI still had a little fight left in them…" Gibbs changed his focus and was now speaking to the whole team, "That being said, we now have two weeks in which the close this case, before Fornell and his cronies come back for their swooping act. Maj. Cassidy will need to see all the evidence we've gathered so that she might do her job, and hopefully give us something so that we can do ours and put this bastard behind bars, where he belongs. Got it?"

With Gibbs' words, everyone had been given a new boost of energy and they each began to go back to their previously assigned tasks. "McGee?" The red headed agent looked up from his terminal, "Would you please escort the Major to the lab where she can get started on all those files that Abby copied?"

Maj. Cassidy turned back to Gibbs, "Sir, if you don't mind? It was my understanding that you still have possession of the Gunny's body?"

Gibbs could let that one slide, "Yeah, we do, Ducky was just getting ready to release it to the family this afternoon."

"Well, if I might have a chance to review the body, as well as your medical examiner's notes, it would surely assist me in my analysis, sir." With that last "sir" the Major realized that she had fallen back to her habits and was instantly sorry, but Gibbs was now willing to deal with it a little better from this extremely respectful younger officer.

"Yeah sure… McGee, you heard the lady… To the lab, by way of the morgue. I can trust you to make the introductions?"

"You got it, Boss." McGee was quick with the cheerful reply. He was just happy that his discovery had not cost them the case. It was McGee who had discovered the possible connection between GySgt. Furmansky's unsual death and that of an ongoing, serial murder investigation. And unfortunately, it was also him that tipped off the FBI that he had made that connection. Plus, in all honesty, the Fibbies had twelve bodies to their one, but their one happened to be an old service buddy of Gibbs', and it REALLY mattered that Gibbs was able to bring in the killer.

McGee mused as he led the Major down into "the tombs," as Abby had been known to refer to the bottom level of NCIS headquarters, and found it ironic that he and Abby were just discussing this morning that they really needed the resources over at Quantico to get this guy. Also, that it was probably better for the Fibbies to get hold of the case, since they might be able to crack it faster with a really good profile of the suspect, and now this whole new wrinkle. McGee had no idea what the SecNav had up his sleep, but he just hoped it worked out in their favor.

They were about to reach the morgue when McGee realized he should probably prepare the Major for what she was about to get into, "Ah, Maj. Cassidy?"

"Yes, Agent McGee?"

"First off, the morgue here is usually pretty clean, so you shouldn't have much to worry about in there, but Ducky, well, he can be a little eccentric… At least that's the word Abby uses. I think the guy has spent too much time around dead bodies for his own good, but he is the best out there." McGee thought he had summed it up pretty well, but he figured he should ask too, "Any questions, concerns?"

"I'm fairly comfortable around an exam table, Agent McGee. And I am quite certain there is little that will come as a surprise to me about Dr. Mallard."

McGee was shocked to hear her call Ducky by name, "You know Ducky?"

"In the familiar, no… But I have attended several of his symposiums and I am quite familiar with his work." This woman might deserve a little more investigation, thought McGee. And as soon as he had that thought, he also had an image of Abby popping into his brain… Abby was not going to be happy about someone reviewing HER work. McGee better get over there ahead of the Major to ease Abby into the notion.

McGee pushed open the door for the Major, and waited for her to pass him before calling out to Ducky, "Hey Ducky! I got a visitor for you."

Out from behind a door to the rear of the exam room, Jimmy Palmer stepped out, "Hey McGee… Dr. Mallard stepped out for a minute, but he'll be right back. Can I help you with anything?"

McGee looked around a moment and then figured he might as well get Jimmy started collecting what the Major would need. "Yeah, Jimmy, you wanna get Gunny Furmansky out of the drawer and ready for a visual inspection. Also, I think we'll need a gown and stuff for the Major to perform the inspection."

"Just the body, Agent McGee… If I may?" She gestured towards the empty table near the examination table with the metal case she carried at her side this whole time, and that McGee had never noticed. Placing it atop the table, Maj. Cassidy opened the lid and removed a lab coat, taking out a box of latex gloves to put down on the table. Next, she turned the case around on the table and opened the lid on the laptop embedded into the foam of the hard-side, metal case. She brought up a program on the computer and plugged in a wireless microphone module. When she reached for the lapels of the lab coat, she noticed McGee just standing there watching her, "Is there a problem Agent McGee?"

The sound of her voice broke McGee from his trance and he just looked up. "Ah, that's quite a rig you got there. Can you launch missiles from space with that thing?" McGee asked jokingly.

The Major didn't respond right away, she just put her lab coat on, making sure the microphone transmitter was placed correctly before she answered, "I'm afraid that's classified information, Agent McGee." The startled look on Agent McGee's face caused Maj. Cassidy to break her veneer with a chuckle, "Sorry about that, Agent McGee… It's kind of a running joke over in Behavioral Sciences…" McGee was visibly relieved to hear that her answer was, in fact, a joke. "There's just so much we aren't allowed to disclose that we sometimes have to resort to little jokes to deal with the strain." Sensing the opportunity to play another joke, the Major returned to setting up her gear, "Besides, they don't let us out very often anyway. Being buried ten levels under to the Pentagon can get on your nerves after a few weeks."

Once again, McGee's eyes grew big as saucers and the Major laughed out loud this time, "Oh yeah, I get it… Another joke?"

"Yeah, sorry… I guess you really are as gullible as you look." Maj. Cassidy continued with her work.

"Hey, I don't look that gullible… Do I?"

"As a two year old, Timothy… Though I tend to find it refreshing in this cynical world to find one so trusting as yourself." An older man had entered the room wearing a lab coat and glasses hanging from the bridge of his nose, "And for whom do I have the honor of entertaining in my examination room this fine day?"

McGee straightened his back and cleared his throat quickly, "Ah Ducky, this is Maj. Cassidy, sent over by the SecDef to lend us a hand with the GySgt Furmansky case… Maj. Cassidy, this is Dr. Donald Mallard, though most of us call him Ducky… He is our chief medical examiner."

Ducky extended his hand for the woman, who was quick to take the proffered hand. "Dr. Mallard, it is a true honor to finally meet you personally. I've read all of your publications on the subject of medical examination, and found them terribly useful in my work. I have also attended many of the symposiums you've given around the Capitol Region. It really is an honor for me to meet you, sir."

Obviously taken aback by the display, Ducky removed his glasses with this free hand and lowered his gaze in a show of humility, "Well, my dear Major, it certainly is a treat for me to meet someone so well versed in my work. How have we been so blessed as to garner your talents in our humble facility?"

"Ducky, it seems the SecDef and the SecNav buffaloed the guys over at the Hoover Building and got us our own profiler to combat their notion that they were better able to deal with the Gunny's death." McGee is quick to explain the situation to Ducky, "And they brought her over straight from the Pentagon."

"Ahh yes, the Behavioral Sciences Division… I have heard a great many things regarding that office as of late… Seems you people have been making some earnest progress in pin pointing some of the more dangerous terror operatives for the folks over in Intelligence." Ducky began cleaning his glasses with a cloth as he questioned the officer.

"Yes, Sir. It would seem that it takes the death of one of our own, in our own backyard before Intelligence thinks it might be a good idea to let the experts in on the game, Sir." She turned back to them both, "And you have my deepest sympathies for your recent loss. I only wish that it didn't take something so drastic and public to affect change in those circles, gentlemen, but sadly it is a very politic environment we operate in at the moment." Her regret was strongly evident in her words, and Ducky took her at them, without reservation.

"Thank you, my dear… Your words are too kind, Maj.-… My dear, I am afraid that I am still a terribly old-fashioned and quite antiquated man, and I am finding it difficult to refer to people by their titles any longer. If you would not mind indulging a dottering old doctor, may I please call you by your given name?"

The Major was caught a little off-guard by the request, but she could see no harm in allowing this well-respected man of science to call her by her given name. "Not all, Dr. Mallard. My first name is Gwen."

Ducky replaced the glasses on his face, just in time to look at the woman from over top of the lenses, "Am I to believe that your parents gave such a delightful creature that too short name?"

She shrugged it off, "No, sir. My full name is Gwendolyn. I just don't really hear it unless I'm in trouble."

"There, now that is a name befitting someone such as yourself." Once again, Ducky's charm was evident, in that the officer actually blushed at his compliment. "Now, where is Palmer with the Gunnery Sergeant's remains?"

Just then, Palmer pushed a gurney through the doors and enters the room in a rush, "Sorry about that Dr. Mallard, but they didn't want to let me take the remains… Something about the family coming to claim the body this afternoon, or something… You want it over there?"

Affecting his exasperated father stance, Ducky answered the younger man, "No, I thought perhaps we'd only view the body from there… Of course, Mr. Palmer, bring Sgt. Furmansky over here, please." Once the body had been transferred to the examination table, Ducky looked again at the officer, "So, Gwendolyn, where should we like to begin in checking over my work?"

Shocked out of her normal approach, Maj. Cassidy realized that Dr. Mallard was feeling threatened by her request to re-examine the remains, "Dr. Mallard, I would hope that you know I am not questioning your work in any way… Simply that I am following one of the key principles of forensic science that you, yourself, have stated time and again in your own works: never trust anything without investigating it for yourself."

Ducky was somewhat surprised to find his own words being thrown back at him, "Well, my dear… Then I suppose I should leave you to it then… I shall be in my office, if you should need me." Ducky bowed slightly to the woman and then exited the room.

Turning to the still shocked McGee, Maj. Cassidy asked, "That didn't go very well, did it?"

"Nope, not at all… Which reminds me… Someone needs to go warn Abby about you. Will you be fine for a little while?" McGee checked his watch to make sure that he'd catch Abby before her next caffeine fix trip.

"Yeah… I should be here for a little while, at least, Agent McGee." As McGee was about to leave the room the Major called to him, "So, who's Abby?"

From the other side of the room, Ducky answered, "The young woman with whom I hope you shall find a much friendlier welcome." Ducky had re-emerged from his office, and then turned to McGee, "Run along now, Timothy… And please do not worry for the Major, I shall see to it that she arrives safely in the lab after her examination concludes."

Walking slowly towards the Major, Ducky was carefully formulating his apology to the woman. Upon entering his office, he suddenly realized how silly he had been and how foolish he had made himself look in the eyes of someone who obviously admired him, or at least his work. "My dear, I hope that I have not made such an ass of myself as not to be forgiven." When the Major smiled, he knew that he was right to come out and explain himself, "You see, even the seasoned professional is sometimes frightened when another steps in to comment on his work. I spoke from fear, and perhaps a little anger at having any of my findings questioned."

"Please know, Dr. Mallard, that I am simply following protocol. I was sent here to gain an understanding of the monster that we are all trying to stop, and the only way I can do that is to examine everything, with my own eyes and my own mind. It's really the only way to get it done." She offered the older man her hand and he took it, granting her the concilliatory hand shake of equals. "And since you are here, maybe you could answer some questions as they come up, so that we can get GySgt. Furmansky's body back to the shipping room, and they can get him back to his family without any delay?"

Fourty five straight minutes of examination and questions, all of which was being recorded into the microphone clipped to Maj. Cassidy's lapel. For every tiny thing noticed by the Major, Ducky provided the conclusions from his own report, thereby making the process as quick as possible. With barely fifteen minutes to spare, Maj. Cassidy pulled off her latex gloves and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Ducky finally closed the file containing his report, and turned to call Mr. Palmer to come and retrieve the body. But as he turned his head, something caught his eye, "Now, what have we here?" The Major quickly positioned herself on the other side of the remains to get a view of what had just captured Ducky's attention. "Do you see it?"

"Right… It's just not one of those things you can catch dead on." Maj. Cassidy moved in closer and pointed to the area just over the victim's right ear. "It's not a tattoo… At least not one I've ever seen, and not one using an ink I've ever even heard of." She cautiously peered at it a moment longer, "And I can't see the stippling of a tattooer's tool either. Do you have an evidence swab handy?"

"The body has already been thoroughly washed, so you cannot possibly believe that you will be able to recover any surface material?" Ducky asked the Major with an incredulous air.

"Ah, but you would be surprised what a little bit of isopropyl can do for you in circumstances like these." And true to her word, with just one dab of her alcohol wipe, she was able to use the swab on the victim's head and remove a small amount of the material which was making his head glow in such an unnatural manner. "Hmmm… Doesn't seem to leave a visible trace on the swab, but I'm sure your lab will be able to get something from it." She carefully closed the lid on the sample swab and placed it in the plastic bag. Still staring at the head of the body, the Major appeared to be working something out in her head.

"What are you thinking, Gwendolyn?" Ducky asked.

"You wouldn't happen to have a black light handy, would you, Dr. Mallard?"

Ducky turned to a drawer in the counter and retrieved a small, dark, fluorescent, handheld light, "Just this one, but it should do the trick." He handed it to her and turned back to the wall, "I'll just get the overhead lights for you, and then we can test your theory."

The Major turned on the small black light just as Ducky hit the switch and they instantly got an answer to their question. Upon casting the black light on the side of the victim's skull, a series of seven letters and numbers, in random order were now visible under the light. "Dr. Mallard, you might want to get someone in here to photograph this before we release the body."

"Indeed," was all that escaped his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I was reminded today that I had said this was an Abby Fic, but there hadn't been any Abby… That changes now. 

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Dr. Mallard and Maj. Cassidy walked casually through the hallway in the basement of NCIS headquarters, talking as they moved away from the morgue and towards the lab. Dr. Mallard was still reeling a bit from their discovery on the body. He had been shown a little glimpse of his youth and it was evident on his flushed cheeks.

"My dear, I truly wish to thank you for coming here today."

The woman nodded in deference to the older doctor, "Really, Sir… I was just doing my job."

Ducky shook his head, "No, no, not that… I wanted to thank you for reminding me of a very valuable lesson." He stopped momentarily and the Major did the same, in kind, "You see, it would appear that I have forgotten that everyone can learn something from anyone else. I believe that I have gotten so caught up in believing that I am smarter or wiser than everyone else, that it never occurred to me that I might learn something from another person, or gain anything from looking at my work from another perspective." The good doctor took the Major's hand. "Thank you for coming in here and causing me to question myself and my techniques, because without that little seed of doubt, we might never have found our clue. And better yet, I might not have been able to improve myself."

The Marine officer was now blushing just a bit, "Dr. Mallard, your work was never in question. I was just taught that I should never take what is given to me when making my analysis, and that no one is perfect. So a fresh pair of eyes is never a bad thing on one of these cases." She returned the doctor's handshake, "Besides, I was just reviewing your work with the benefit of having the body there for reference. It was actually you who found the mark. I just knew how to collect the sample."

They returned to walking, but Ducky had one last thing to add, "Perhaps, my dear, but had I not felt questioned in my findings, I'd have never looked on the remains in a new light," Ducky punctuated his statement with a final wink, "so to speak." They both laughed a little at his joke and walked through the doors of the NCIS lab.

Once inside, they found Agent Timothy McGee on all fours, setting up a table and running cords to it from across the room on the floor. "Timothy, what on earth are you doing?" Asked the good doctor.

Looking up quickly after having been surprised by their entrance, McGee hit his head on the underside of the table and knocked over some of the papers which were once piled on top of it. "OWWW!" He clumsily stood up from his precarious position, rubbing the top of his head, "Ummm, I was just getting the Major set up here in the lab, like Gibbs told me to." McGee went over to the wall and threw the switch on the power strip, "And now it's ready… After learning about the markings you found on the Gunny, Gibbs wanted to make sure you had everything you needed in here while you reviewed the rest of the case files and evidence."

McGee crossed the room to stand next to Ducky and Maj. Cassidy, he then turned back to get a good look at his handiwork. "So, do you think that will work for you, Maj. Cassidy?" McGee asked with his boyish smile.

The Major walked up to the table, noticed the powered table and the ethernet connection resting on the tabletop, as well as the printed case files and a small box of evidence. She placed her metal case upon the table and turned back to the two men, "I think this will be just fine, Agent McGee. However, I won't be needing the ethernet connection."

McGee quickly came to his own defense, "Well, I know that signals can be pretty bad in here, what with all the magnetic fields created by this equipment, not to mention Abby's toys. So, I-…"

McGee is interrupted by Ducky, "Where is Abigail, Timothy? I thought you were going to introduce her to the Major." Ducky looked around with great interest.

"Ah, yeah… I have no idea where Abby is hiding at the moment… Came in here to tell her the good news earlier, when I dropped the Major off with you, and well, she wasn't here… I did manage to find the copies of the files she was hiding, but I'd like to keep that to myself, if you don't mind… Kinda like to keep my head, if you know what I mean, Ducky." McGee looked almost as though he could practically come unglued at the mention of Abby's whereabouts, leaving Ducky with a sneaking suspicion that Agent McGee knew exactly where she was, but was covering for her, none the less.

"Very well, then you will be certain to keep the Major company until Abigail returns, correct?" Ducky wanted to make certain that Maj. Cassidy was not left to fend for herself when it came to Abby.

"Oh yeah, no problem there, Ducky. I wouldn't do that to my worst enemy, let alone someone sent here to help us out." McGee gave Ducky the assurances he needed before turning to leave the lab.

"If you should need me for anything, Gwendolyn, you need only call my office. This case is the first priority for many of us here at NCIS right now." He looked back at the Major as she began to open her metal case, "And we are all terribly happy to have you working with us, my dear… Terribly happy."

"Thank you very much, Sir. I am happy to serve, as always." The Major returned her attention to the metal case, withdrawing her computer and a digital tablet. As she began setting up the equipment for her work, McGee started to shift nervously, and retrieved the rest of the papers from the floor.

"Ah, like I was saying… The cell signals in here tend to get pretty weak, so I ran the ethernet line so you could plug straight in to our network. I also got you set up with a login, which will grant you specific access to our digital case files." McGee carefully returned the last of the papers to their proper stacks.

"That won't be necessary, Agent McGee… I already have that access and I'm not really using a cell signal to communicate with my network. So, there isn't likely to be any interference with the equipment here in the lab." The Major continued setting up her equipment without stopping for any of the conversation and without once looking Agent McGee in the eye.

Standing straight up with his mouth hanging slightly agape, Agent McGee was only able to say, "Oh."

While he stood there with the puzzled look on his face, Abby Sciuto practically came skipping into her laboratory. Oblivious to the presence of the Major, she instead focused on the presence of Agent McGee and she nearly pounced on the still dumbstruck young agent. "MCGEE! I really did it this time!... No, really! They will never figure out what happened with those car tires until it's way too late." Suddenly realizing that McGee had not stopped looking on one direction, she thwapped him in the ear and said, "McGee! You aren't paying attention to me again… What could you possibly be looking at that is more important than me sabotaging Fornell's c-." She looked in the general direction of McGee's stare and stopped cold on the face of Maj. Cassidy. "Who the heck is that!" Her playful expression immediately turned to one of total suspicion and anger.

McGee, finally shaken from his stupor, realized that he had better fix this one, and fast, "Uh… Ummm… Abby this is-…"

Abby held up her hand to silence McGee, "I think the spook can speak for herself. How else did she get that pretty uniform." The vitriole in her voice was enough to make the Major understand that this was not someone she wanted to trifle with today.

However, this time McGee decided he better step up to the plate and diffuse the situation. "Abby, don't freak out. This is Maj. Cassidy… And in case you forgot, Marines don't introduce themselves, so she was waiting for me to make the introductions." Tim was rewarded (or punished, depending on the point of view) for his comments with one of Abby's patented glares. In fact, the only thing that made Tim's skin crawl even half as much was one of Gibbs' patented glares (though admittedly, Abby was the better of the two at making him want to jump out of his own skin). "Abby Scuito, this is Maj. Cassidy, she was sent over by the SecDef to help us out with the Furmansky case." The Major stepped out from behind the makeshift workspace, "Maj. Cassidy, this is Abby Scuito, and she runs the lab here at NCIS." The Major then offered her hand to Abby, which Abby took and half-heartedly shook.

"I have heard many good things about the quality of work coming from this lab, Ms. Scuito. And I believe I read a journal article of yours recently. Aren't you the A. Scuito who wrote that compelling piece on "Forensic Examination of Electronic Components" in the Journal of American Forensics last month?" To McGee, it appeared as though the Major was making a decent attempt at getting on Abby's good side, but he could only hold his breath until Abby responded.

"Umm… Wait, you actually read that thing?" Abby was totally caught off guard by the woman's knowledge of her recent contribution to forensic science. "AND you read THAT article? Wow!... You must have no life." Abby's conclusion garnered her a small chuckle from the female Marine. "That didn't sound right, huh?" Abby stepped back to sit in her favorite chair while she continued her interrogation of this new face.

"Well, right or not, it is fairly accurate." The Major followed her lead and sat down in the chair that McGee had set up for her, "I'm not the best sleeper, plus I get stuck in my office for extended periods of time and the only thing I can do is catch up on my professional reading."

"So, if you work for the SecDef, where is your off-… Wait Just a Second!" Abby interrupted herself, "McGee! What happened with the Fibbies?!"

McGee, surprised by the sudden change of subject fumbled a bit, "Well, uhh, umm… Oh yeah! The Director and the SecNav pulled in some favors with the SecDef and they stalled the FBI from commandeering the case for another two weeks while the Major does a case analysis and helps us get our bearings on who this sicko is."

Abby pondered the information she had just been given, "So, we have TWO WEEKS! Wow! I could solve two of these cases with two more weeks… So, wait… Why were Fornell and his lackies here earlier?" Abby started to chew her fingernails a little.

"Umm… I guess they were still fighting it up until the SecDef came in and smacked them around and took the whole thing out of their hands. Gibbs said it got kind of ugly up there in the Director's office for a while." McGee chuckled a bit to himself, thinking of just what that scene must have looked like.

"Hmmm… Then I guess I'm gonna get thwacked by Gibbs today." Abby said with trepidation.

"What did you do this time, Abs?" Gibbs voice instantly made Abby's spine straighten up tight, and all the color drained right out of McGee's face.

"Hey Gibbs! Did I do something?" Abby spoke with a certain quality of panic in her voice.

"Just tell me that whatever you did can't be traced, and I'll let it slide." Gibbs gave her a look of resignation to let her know that she was off the hook.

"Gibbs, please… If anyone can get away with something, you know it's gotta be me." Her devilish smile was all Gibbs needed to see, and he let loose with one of his patented smirks.

"Okay… I see that you have met the Major… Did McGee properly introduce you two?" Gibbs looked directly at McGee when he spoke.

"Oh yeah, Timmy played the good little Probie and took care of all of that… We were just about to start trading piercings and hair products when you came in, Boss." The glint of mischief in Abby's eyes almost made Gibbs laugh, but the muffled giggles of the Major made the corner of his mouth turn up in one of those smirks again.

"Good to know… McGee, you've got work to do on that tattoo sequencing. Crypto has been looking for you and Tony is no help at all with that garbage." Gibbs gestured for McGee to get moving out of the lab and back to his desk.

"Right, Boss… Um… The Major is all setup here in the lab, and I already gave her the copies of the files and access is taken care of, as well, Boss…" Seeing the exasperated look on Gibbs' face made McGee realize he needed to get moving, "And I'm going back to my desk right now to work on that sequencing." And with that, Agent McGee very quickly exited the lab.

Gibbs gestured between the two women with the cup in his hand, "You two ladies gonna be all right in here?" And as he looked at the cup in his hands, he suddenly realized why Abby was looking at him like a big cat stalking its prey and handed her the giant cup filled with her Caff-Pow. She took it from him greedily and immediately began slurping up the extremely caffeinated beverage. "Yeah, forgot I had it, sorry." She mumbled something that resembled 'no problem' while continuing to suck on the straw. "Anyway, I want to get this thing put to bed BEFORE the two week deadline, so anything you need, do not hesitate to ask. Clear?"

The Major was the only one to answer, "Crystal, Sir." And Gibbs left the lab shaking his head at the extremely proper Major.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This thing is going a lot faster than I imagined, so I hope to be finished within a week or so… You can expect updates nearly every day. 

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Once Gibbs had left the lab and was far enough away to not be able to hear anything, the Major slumped down in her chair, hanging her head, "Man, I really gotta work on that one."

Abby swallowed that last gulp hard and looked up to see what the deal was, "Hey, what do you mean?"

"Agent Gibbs specifically asked me to stop referring to him as 'Sir', but I can't seem to drop the training." The Major had returned to setting up her computer and the digital tablet.

"Oh yeah… He totally hates that whole 'Sir' thing… I think it's a Marine sergeant thing, or something… Anyway, he really hates it, so you better work on that one." Abby spun around in her chair to face her terminal and started working on something.

"Yeah… It's just really hard after spending nearly eighteen years in formal military service." The Major also returned to her work and upon finishing her set up, fired her computer once more.

Abby sat pondering those words until they finally penetrated into her head. "You've been in the military for EIGHTEEN YEARS!" As she turned back around in her chair to face the Major, Abby's eyes were as big as dinner plates. "What? Did you join up when you were ten!" Abby laughed a little at her own joke and continued, "I mean seriously, you don't look much older than me."

Now it was the Major's turn to laugh out loud, "Though I appreciate your words, I'm quite certain that I have at least ten years on you, but I'd have to check to be sure."

Abby sat in total shock, "Wait, you can look that up? Just who the heck are you, lady?"

The Major just shook her head and chuckled, "Well, I can give you name, rank, service number and date of birth, but beyond that… 'I am not at liberty to divulge that information at this time.'"

Abby was still intrigued by the Major's comments, but knew the company line better than anyone, so she decided to drop the matter. Especially when she noticed the Major's left hand and the wedding ring she found glinting off of it. "So, I thought you said you had no life?"

The Major looked down at the visible wedding ring and realized that Abby was trying to perform her own little interrogation, but decided to go along with it anyway, "Yeah, well, he's a Naval Officer, so it's pretty much the same thing."

Abby was now seriously curious of the Major, "So wait, you're a Jarhead and he's Sailor? That had to be a strange combo… How'd you guys meet? And if you say on a boat, I will have to do damage."

Shaking her head again, the Major just chuckled, "No, not at all… We actually met out in Ocean City one summer. I was playing in a volleyball tournament while visiting family and he and his buddies were there on leave from the Naval Academy. We've been together ever since."

While Abby processed the information, she just asked another question to make small talk, "So, how long have you guys been hitched?"

The Major began leafing through some of the photos sitting by her and then absently rattled off her anniversary, "Uh, this June will be eighteen years."

That comment stopped Abby dead in her tracks, "EIGHTEEN YEARS! So, if you've been in the Marines for eighteen years and married that long… How old were you when got hitched in marriage and with the Marines?"

Still not looking up from her work, the Major answered the question, "Um… Oddly enough, I was eighteen."

Abby thought about it a moment and had her smart alec comment ready to go, "So, you're life pretty much ended at eighteen, then."

This time the Major looked up from her task, "Are you kidding! My life began at eighteen… I started my life with a wonderful man, whom I love dearly… I was living my lifelong dream of entering the Naval Academy and I was becoming a Marine… That was the best year of my life, though admittedly, it was also probably the toughest as well."

It was now Abby's turn to stare with her mouth slightly agape at the Major's response. She shook her head in a cartoonish gesture in an effort to clear the cobwebs forming on her rarely pausing brain and came to a realization about this woman: _This was someone I could really like getting to know._

"Okay, obviously you and me got off on the wrong foot… So, let's start over, shall we?" Abbby stood up and crossed the room to the Major. "Hey, I'm Abby, and I work here in the NCIS lab… McGee tells me you're some kind of Marine officer sent over by the SecDef to help us on this case, so… Welcome to the team!" And with that Abby took the woman's hand and shook it.

The Major decided it was much easier to go along with this rather unorthodox woman and she proceeded to shake her hand as well, "Major Gwen Cassidy, happy to be here and I hope we can close this case quickly."

Abby nodded her head, "Cool…" She turned to go back to her terminal when something else struck her, "Hey, I'm not really big on the whole title thing; you mind if I just called you Gwen?" Abby flashed one of her amazingly bright smiles as she asked the Major her last question.

"Uh… Yeah, I guess so… Just don't be too surprised if you have to say it a couple times before I answer… You don't sound anything like my husband, and that's pretty much the only time I hear that name anymore." Maj. Cassidy tried to laugh off her reasoning, but in fact it was true. Since entering the Naval Academy, she had barely heard her first name uttered outside of the walls of her own home. She was Major, Cassidy, Ma'am, Sir and another term not meant for her to actually hear, but said often enough she felt like answering to it on occasion.

"You got it… Loud and repeatedly… That should be easy for me." Abby answered with her own devilish look of mischief.

And the two settled in to working on their respective tasks with the occasional interruptions of conversation. They had been working for so long in that when Agent McGee appeared in the doorway they were both a little taken aback by his presence.

"You've got to be kidding, Tim… I can't leave right now… I'm waiting for the spectrometer results on those swabs that Gwen got off the Gunny's noggin earlier" Abby just continued to strike the keys at her terminal as she was looking for something.

"But it's almost 1900 hours, and you guys haven't even gotten lunch yet, let alone dinner. Shouldn't you at least take a break for that?" McGee looked around with a puzzled expression at the amazing change of demeanor between these two women.

"Nah, we got Chinese on its way right now… Besides, the results should be up in about four, three, two, one… BINGO!" Abby immediately took the results that were spewing out of her printer and started reading through the information. "Hmmmm…" She scrunched up her nose and was trying to decipher the findings when McGee simply could not stand it any longer.

"WHAT?!" His words came out much more urgent than he intended, so McGee soon found his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Geez, McGee, you need to learn some patience, or something." Abby teased the junior agent.

"Sorry, Abs, but what is it?" The red to his cheeks was still evident, but he was trying to recover his dignity.

"Well, I think I've ID'd the element that was creating the glow effect, but I've never actually seen the stuff before… A little before my time, and the Major's for that matter… Heck, this might even be before Gibbs' time." Now Maj. Cassidy had become intrigued by the findings.

"What is it then?" The Major asked as she looked up from her computer screen.

Abby wriggled her nose one more time before speaking, "Well, it's Radium, but it also has some kind of unidentifiable petroleum product mixed with it." They all looked a little curiously at Abby, "And there are trace amounts of Glycerin and Alcohol, but because of the collection method, I can't tell if the alcohol was from the wipe or inherent in the makeup of the substance."

They all sat down with this piece of information and pondered what it could mean. Within a few minutes of this the phone beside Abby started to ring, and she reached over to pick it up, "Lab… Oh yeah, that's us… Someone will be right up." Abby hung up the phone.

McGee, being McGee, was the first to ask, "So, who was it, Abby?"

Suddenly broken from her train of thought, Abby responded, "OH! That was the delivery guy… I guess I better get up there and get the food before security frisks him again." She hesitates again and McGee decided that maybe it would be better for him to get the food.

"Go ahead and stay here… I'll grab it." And without waiting for anyone to object or say anything, McGee simply left the room.

A few minutes after his departure, Abby snapped to and realized what had just happened, "Oh cripes! I didn't even give him the money." Abby looked over to the Major to see her reaction, but instead found her engrossed with a search on her computer. "Whatcha got there, Gwen?" Abby began moving over to see what the Major was working on. "Gwen?"

After realizing she was the one being talked to, Maj. Cassidy looked up to respond to the question, "Uh? Oh, yeah… I was just doing a chemical database search for that combination of chemicals to figure out what it might be. But I'm not having much luck… Might need to trade DB's at this point." Maj. Cassidy was still deeply engrossed in her search when Abby began to move back towards her own terminal.

"I might be able to help with that, but let's see who can find what… Maybe if we tag team it, we'll have better luck." And so Abby returned to her terminal and started madly searching through every online database she could think of.

When McGee returned to the lab, neither woman noticed his arrival, so he just pulled out a small rolling table and started setting up the food for them. He was just about to pick up Abby's usual Kung Pao and set it beside her on the desk when she cried out, "GOT IT!" However, it was her turn to jump as she turned to find an equally shocked McGee standing there with her food in hand. "MCGEE! You gotta stop sneaking up on me like that." When she took the food from him, she shot him a wink that let him know he was off the hook; this time.

The Major called over, but did not look up, "What did you find?"

Abby works to swallow her first bite of Kung Pao before answering, "Ummm… There used to be a product called a 'Night Marker' made in the fourties for the Navy. They used it for Naval Aviation Night Operations for marking stuff on the flight deck… Made of Radium and alcohol…" She stopped to sip from her Caff-Pow, "Seems the ocean spray made it hard for the stuff to not wash off, so they would wipe some petroleum lubricant over it to keep it from washing away." Abby looked over to the Major to gauge her reaction, but all she found was the top of her head as she continued to work at her computer. "Whaddya think, Gwen?"

The Major continued to click away at her computer and Abby took this as the perfect opportunity to down some more of her Kung Pao. When McGee reached the Major's workstation with her food from the takeout order, she finally looked up, "Wow! That's a lot of food… There's no way I can eat all that. Have you eaten yet Agent McGee?"

McGee was a little surprised by the Major's lack of response to Abby, but he was actually hungry, and getting hungrier smelling the food that had been delivered. "Ummm… Well, no I hadn't yet, I was ju-…"

"Oh good," the Major interrupted, "Then you can have half of mine." And she takes the plate he had brought over with the food and dishes out less than half of the food in the containers and hands the rest back to McGee. "Thanks, I hate seeing it go to waste, and it never tastes the same when it's leftovers." She took a small bite and enjoyed the flavor of her Lo Mein a moment before speaking again. While she was getting started on her food, McGee walked back to the little rolling table and pulled up a chair so he could join them for their impromptu dinner. Then without warning, the Major pulled up something on her computer and began to explain, "The 'Night Marker' was the first wave of those products, it would seem that an Air Boss Cmdr. Stanley Wychovski requested that the Navy look into another alternative, because his deck crews were spending too much time re-marking everything after a couple of days because the alcohol based markers were not lasting very long. The Berol company came back with a glycerin based marker that had managed to last for three weeks on the hull of a ship docked in Norfolk during the rainy season, as long as the petroleum lubricant procedure (which was developed by Cmdr. Wychovski) was continued to be used." She stopped momentarily to bring up the next screen.

"Wow! Where do you get info like that?" Abby asked through another mouthful of Kung Pao.

"'I am not at liberty to divulge that information at this time.'" The Major had her own devilish grin on this time. "Anyway, it would seem that a diving crew managed to recover a case of these markers about ten years ago while doing some recovery work in the Pacific. When they opened the case and found the markers, they were still working. Seems that as long as the markers were not open, the glycerin base kept them viable indefinitely, which means that anyone finding them would still be able to use them, as well as getting that radiation they would need to become a shining light of their own, after a while."

Abby and McGee both chomped on their food for a little while before they both came to the same realization, at the same time. They both exclaimed in unison, "We're dealing with someone who was in the Navy!"

The Major just casually added, "Or at least someone that has intimate knowledge of and access to Aircraft Carrier equipment and history."

All three sat in silence, enjoying their respective meals as they continued to contemplate this newly revealed information. This lasted for quite a while and was only interrupted by the sound of a tinny rendition of what sounded like a familiar song. When the Major pulled the cell phone from her pocket, it became very clear that it was the Marine Corps theme song, "From the Halls of Montezuma."

She answered the phone and held a quiet conversation, "Major Cassidy… Oh hey… Wow, that was fast… Well, if it was her fourth I can understand… Yeah, I was just finishing dinner… Oh… Fifteen minutes?... You know how to get here, right?... Well, yes, I know you can use it, but that doesn't mean you will… No problem… Yeah, I'll just call the car service and cancel… Out front in fifteen… Copy that… Bye." The Major closes up the phone and starts to clean up her area.

Abby, unable to resist the temptation any longer, made another of her famous comments, "The Sailor anxious to get you home?"

The Major stopped momentarily as she processed the question, "What?... Oh yeah… You know how those sailors are when they make port." The Major then picked up all of her equipment and began to put it all back in the metal case.

McGee once again sat with a confused look on his face. Abby just chuckled as she cleaned up the last of her Kung Pao and tossed the container into the trash can beside her desk. "Yeah, especially when they know what's waiting for them at home." Abby walked over to the Major's work area and was helping her to put away all the files and the evidence box. "We'll just get these things secured and they'll be waiting for y-…" Abby noticed a tell-tale symbol on the documents she was helping to clean up and immediately turned to shoot McGee another glare, "MCGEE! Where did you get these!"

McGee nearly choked on his last bite of food when he realized that Abby had just discovered that the files the major was using were the ones she had stashed in preparation for the FBI taking over the case. "Well, Gibbs wanted the Major to get going on the data and he still needed his copy for their own leads and, well, I kind of had an idea of, ummm, ya know, ummm, where you might have hid-…" McGee was grasping at every straw he could get his hands on, but he was floundering; badly.

"McGee, you and I are gonna have a talk about this… And by talk, I mean I'm going to beat you." The fear in McGee's eyes gave Abby a sense of satisfaction. Even though she knew she would never follow through on her threat, it was good that McGee was honestly afraid that she would..

The Major chuckled at the little exchange between these two younger people as she closed the lid on her metal case. "Well, I can see you two have a lot to discuss… I will see you both tomorrow at 0700… At least, I hope it will be both of you." And the Major slipped out of the lab, leaving Abby and McGee alone to sort out their problem.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This is a short one, and hopefully will tide you over, just in case I run out of time tomorrow to post a longer one. BTW-I work nights, so my tomorrow's are a little different than most 

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On her way to the elevator she noticed Dr. Mallard going through some of his files. She assumed that the older doctor was now reviewing all of his case files with a more skeptical eye. She was still sorry that her task in the morgue had caused the man to think his work was being held in question, but she guessed that maybe it would be something the esteemed doctor could turn into a positive.

As she stepped onto the elevator, Maj. Cassidy breathed a sigh of relief. This day had started out as any other, and she had no indication of how it would end when she woke up this morning. She was infinitely glad to have been provided with the depth of training the Corps had seen fit to give her, and she honestly believed it was for days such as this one that she was given that opportunity. She only hoped that it would yield positive results.

During her review of the case files, it became very clear to her why this was such a crucial case for Special Agent Gibbs and his team. The victim, GySgt. Furmansky, was a service buddy of Gibbs' out in the Gulf, so his death and the gruesome nature of it had to have been a real blow to Gibbs and his team. Maj. Cassidy was deep in thought about this very detail when she failed to notice the elevator stopping short of her intended floor. It was not until the doors opened and Agent Gibbs entered the elevator that she returned from her thoughts.

"Well, Major…" The woman was startled by Gibbs' voice, but did her best not to make her surprise visible. "Looks like you've already made some progress on the case."

"Sir?" She instantly regretted her repeated lapse back into her training.

Although Gibbs cringed a bit at the title, he tried to let it slide, "Yeah, Crypto is still salivating over that sequence you found and McGee tells me you've already ID'd the marker used to write those numbers." Gibbs turned around to see the Major as he prepared to ask his question, "You really think this slime is Navy?"

She took a deep breath for before answering; reminding herself not to slip up again, "Agent Gibbs, the subject at the very least has intimate knowledge of the supplies and procedures of a World War II aircraft carrier, and has access to same. I would turn attention to anyone associated now or previously with the de-commissioning of aircraft carriers in the last ten years. It would be the ideal place to start, S-Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs simply turned back to face the elevator doors and nodded his head. "Yeah, that's what I was figuring, too."

The elevator doors opened and Gibbs walked out and put his arm out to stay the doors as the Major exited the elevator. They walked the rest of the way to the front doors in silence. As they approached the front desk security, Gibbs noticed a man in a Naval Officer's uniform pacing in front of security. Upon closer examination, he decided it was a Lieutenant Commander's uniform. Gibbs mused to himself that the Lieutenant Commander must have done something pretty bad to have been exiled to the Navy Department's car service.

Before he headed down the hall to the parking garage Gibbs stopped and turned again to the Major, "Good night, Major… See you in the morning?"

Maj. Cassidy smiled a bit and answered, "0700, Agent Gibbs… Good night, Sir."

Gibbs smirked to himself as he noticed the Major chastising herself for slipping up once more. She walked through the security gate and signed out of NCIS headquarters. Gibbs was about to turn down the hall to the parking garage when he noticed something odd for a member of the Marine Corps. Maj Cassidy was kissing the Naval Officer on the cheek as he took her metal case and then her arm before they both left the lobby. Gibbs decided this would need more investigation; tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Writing is moving along nicely, and so I offer up another chapter. 

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Armed with large cup of black coffee and a very large cup of Caff-Pow, Agent Jethro Gibbs made his way down to the lab, hoping to get a few moments alone with Abby before the Major returned to NCIS headquarters. Gibbs wanted to know just what Abby thought of the Marine Corps officer. What he found when he walked through the lab doors was something else entirely. Seated at a small workstation was Maj. Gwen Cassidy, diligently going through case files and making notes on her computer. Upon noticing Gibbs' arrival, the Major stood up from her seat and came to attention.

Gibbs realized quickly that this woman had protocol and procedure ingrained into her genetic makeup at this point, and he actually found it a little refreshing. Here was a Marine who actually believed in the old values of the Corps and showing him courtesies out of a deep respect instead of the fear he felt from most other Marines. As much as Gibbs hated having outsiders working within NCIS, he was starting to warm to this particular outsider, even though he was still withholding his judgment until he had a chance to talk to Abby about the woman.

"At ease, Major… No need for that when dealing with a lowly Gunny." Gibbs took another look around the lab, "Where's Abby?"

The Major relaxed her shoulders a bit before answering, "Uh, she was still sleeping on her couch when I came in, so I just closed the door to her office and got to work, S-Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs strained to look over the glass into Abby's office and found the peacefully resting, young, Goth woman curled up in a ball on her couch, with one, coal black pigtail hanging in her face. "Ah yes… Probably a good idea to let sleeping bats hang." The Major's face betrayed a hint of confusion, but she quickly hid it from further review. "So, when did you get here, Major?"

The Major took a quick glance at her watch and was surprised to see the current time, "More than an hour, it would appear… I had to drive today, and I wanted to miss the traffic in from Montgomery County, so I left early. Arrival time was 0615, Sir." She slipped once again, but at least it was not as frequent as yesterday.

"Montgomery County?… Seems like a long trip to be taking in to the Pentagon every day, Maj. Cassidy." Gibbs decided this might be the perfect opportunity for him to question the Major himself.

"It is, but it was more important for my husband to be close to work." The Major decided to play along with the impromptu interrogation. "I typically take the Red Line in to the city and the Yellow out to my office, Agent Gibbs."

"The Metro is a good thing for that… Husband, huh?... How long have you been married, Major?" Gibbs took a swig from his coffee cup in an attempt to appear non-chalant.

The Major cracked a small smile, "This June it will be eighteen years, Sir."

Gibbs choked on his coffee at her answer, "Eighteen years!" Gibbs wiped away the small bit of coffee that escaped his mouth and fell onto his chin, "You can't possibly be serious… With the same guy?"

This time the Major laughed out loud, "Yes, Sir… Same man, the whole time… We've actually been together for nearly twenty years, but we had to wait until I was eighteen before we could get married."

Gibbs just shook his head because he was having a hard time believing that someone like that could still exist in the world. "High school sweethearts and everything."

The Major struck a pensive expression, "Well, not exactly… Some people might have considered him in the 'taking advantage of a young girl' category… At least those that didn't know me, Sir." When Gibbs shot her a questioning look, she elaborated, "He was on liberty from the Academy when we met in Ocean City… I was there for a volleyball tournament and to visit some family. He and his buddies were there to watch the girls playing volleyball and my cousin introduced us. We obviously hit it off very well."

Gibbs processed all the info he had been given, "So, you were sixteen when you met. What year was he in at the Academy?"

"Well, let's see, he was first class when I started, so he had just finished his first year at the Academy when we met." The Major looked at Agent Gibbs and realized he was trying to figure out how old that made her husband at the time, "Which means he was about to turn nineteen when we met. Old enough to know better, but young enough it didn't matter too much, Sir."

Gibbs nodded his head in agreement, and worked out his next question as he drank from his cup once more. "Well, if he was an Academy man, does that mean there is another Marine at home, Major?"

"No, Sir… He's a Navy man, through and through. Much to the dismay of his father and the delight of his grandfather." The Major chuckled a little with her own disclosure.

"Let me guess, his father was in the Army?" Gibbs smirked at the notion of a family dealing with that rivalry.

"God no!" Her exclamation surprised Gibbs, "The Captain would have sunk his own ship if he ever thought a daughter of his was gonna marry an Army grunt. No, his father was a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant… Part of the 1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment during Korea and at the opening of Vietnam." The Major had become much more relaxed during her conversation with Gibbs, so she had let her guard down a bit. "And the Captain was part of Adm. Halsey's group out in the Pacific, but he finished out his Naval Career at Naval Station Ingleside in Texas. And true to his word, he's going to outlive us all: the Captain recently celebrated his ninety-second birthday." The pride in her words was very clear to Gibbs.

"Sounds to me like you're pretty close with his family, Major." Gibbs was still on his fishing expedition.

"Very much so, Sir. And he to mine… In fact, our families spend more time with each other than they do with us anymore. Our Dads keep trading fishing trips back and forth, and our Moms are usually tagging along; they just stay ashore. And J.T.'s folks just bought some property not far from mine, and my brother's are going to build the house for them." As Gibbs sat down in Abby's chair, the Major re-took her own seat. "We have really been very fortunate, in that respect."

"Sounds like it." Gibbs decided the questioning about her background was over, and it was time to get down to business, "So, how close are you to giving us that profile, Maj. Cassidy?"

Quick to follow the change in conversation, the Major picked up another file and set it next to the computer, "Probably take me the better part of today and tomorrow to get through all the case files, agent notes and transcripted testimony. So, that gives me until the end of the week to finish out my profile. Leaves you with a solid week to make headway in finding the UnSub, Agent Gibbs."

Her last term struck Gibbs as familiar, but he was not able to put a finger on it, "UnSub?"

"Oh… Sorry, 'Unknown Subject.' Nasty terminology I picked up from working with a few F.B.I. trainees back in my grad school days, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs just nodded, "I thought it sounded familiar, but I just couldn't quite place it… So, you think it will take you the rest of the week to get your profile together?"

The Major looked up from her work again, "Well, honestly, Sir? No, I don't… I might even have something for you by tomorrow, but I always cushion my deadlines. Better to come in under the deadline than over it in the Corps, Sir. But I don't have to tell you that."

Gibbs shook his head because the Major was obviously finding it difficult to drop the "Sir" business, so he had formulated a compromise, "Look, Major… I'm not accustomed to ANYONE calling me 'Sir', let alone an officer… How about we try using ranks and see if that doesn't make it easier on both of us?" He saw a glimmer of acceptance and gratitude from the Major. "Since you obviously have a need to remember my service, how about you just call me 'Gunny?'"

The smile once again crossed the Major's face, "I think that would be just fine, Gunny." She took a deep breath, "And I apologize for slipping up on the 'sir' thing… Between growing up in a proper Southern home, and spending my entire adult life in formal military environments, it is really hard to drop, Gunny."

And that was the final piece of the puzzle that Gibbs had been searching for: the Major was from the South. That explained the whole thing for him; the high level of respect for everyone (but especially for him), the family history of service, the Academy and the Pentagon. All of those things lumped together created a person who was simply incapable of not using "sir" and "ma'am" on a constant basis. "Not a problem, Major… Just glad we could clear that up. I would have hated having to take a swing at you… Especially, after I heard about your fight record at the Academy from Master Sergeant Jowarski." Gibbs tipped his coffee cup at the Major as he was leaving the lab, and then pointed at the conspicuous, giant plastic cup he left at Abby's workstation, "Make sure Abby gets that when she wakes up, Major."

"Roger that, Gunny."

The Major shook her head and chuckled at the exchange she had just been a part of here in the lab. Perhaps this joint operation would not be as bad as she had thought in the first place.

As she finished that thought, an obviously tousled Abby came out of her office, clutching the door frame with both hands as she precariously leaned out of the office, "I smell caffeine."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Heading off to bed, so, here's a chapter to satisfy your Abby fix. 

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Walking as fast as her three inch platform boots would carry her, Abby Scuito worked her way through NCIS headquarters. She had spent all morning trying to uncover the source of those suspicious "night markers," and her head was swimming from the countless Navy Department reports she had been wading through since finding the database at three AM. She needed to clear her head, and check on everyone else's progress, but mostly, she was in desperate need of her beloved Caff-Pow.

As she finally reached the front desk and was about to swipe her access card, she looked up to find Gibbs and his lopsided smile waiting for her. "Going somewhere, Abbs?"

"Gibbs! Hey, yeah I needed to wipe off the red tape goggles. And since you sent McGee somewhere my Caff-Pow source dried up." She swiped her card and started walking again, with Gibbs in tow. "You need some air, Bossman?"

Gibbs smirked a little at Abby's question, "Yeah, something like that, Abbs."

The two started their little walk to the Navy Yard convenience store for her beloved beverage. They walked in silence for what seemed like an eternity to Abby . When it had finally become too much for her, she started talking, "So, Gibbs, are you gonna just make me crazy, or can you start the interrogation now?" When Gibbs looked at the young woman he could see the impish glint in her eyes and this time he laughed out loud.

"All right, Abby… I was hoping to get your opinions on the Major." Gibbs just smirked at Abby's comment and continued their walk.

"I had a feeling that's where this was leading, and besides, Gibbs, when have you ever not been suspicious of someone else coming in to NCIS… And I think you're rubbing off on me too, because now I do that too, and well, that's just wrong, Gibbs. Ya know, that's just not like me." Gibbs stepped in front of her to open the door to the Navy Yard convenience store and she walked past him, still talking.

"And besides, when you get a chance to work with someone like her, you should just sit back and learn, because that's what you have to do with people like that. I mean really, she has all the toys and access I would kill for, plus, MY GOD, she is like soooo off the charts, ya know." Abby started to fill her cup, but never once did she stop talking.

"Sometimes I feel like my mouth is hanging open when she's talking, because she's got this thought process and it's like totally mind blowing. Oh yeah, and she's got this way she talks to you where you swear she's telling you like everything you want to know, but when you think about it later, you realize that she never answered the question at all. AND she's like totally cool even though she is probably the straightest person I have ever met. Even more than you, Gibbs, and boy is that saying something. But seriously she has this brain that is just like so off the charts that I don't even know what she's talking about sometimes, and she even had McGee falling over himself about some tech head stuff that he had only dreamed about, and she was like 'Oh yeah, that was okay, but the seven thousand whatchamacallit was much better.'"

She and Gibbs walked up to the counter, and he handed the clerk money for his coffee and her soft drink and she stopped only long enough to take a pull off her Caff-Pow before starting right where she had left off, "Did you know she's been married for EIGHTEEN years? I mean wow, that has to be a record or something. And her husband's a Navy doc, and is like totally hot, and they live in Bethesda, but neither of 'em is from here: big surprise, since like no one is FROM this place anymore. But right, her brain is like so scary, ya know. You remember my NASA boy, Ashton, well she makes him look like a freaking kindergartner, Gibbs, she is like scary genius, like the kind that could become a super villain or something, ya know, but she's like totally Gung Ho Marine and dedicated and everything so she'd like never do anything wrong like that, ya know?"

It was at this point that they reached the front door to NCIS offices again and Abby had her final epiphany, "OH! And she has this totally amazing collection of music. Man, oh man, she has some stuff I would totally kill for!" Abby takes a long draw on the straw of her Caff-Pow and gives Gibbs that infamous mischievous look of hers.

Gibbs just shook his head and walked them both back through the doors of headquarters and smirked, "Thanks for the talk, Abbs… What I could get from it, anyway."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: The last chapter was a little short, so this one should make up for it a little. 

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As Abby went skipping into her lab she found the Major pushing off from the counter in what looked like some form of push ups. Abby decided the Major was also trying to clear her head after their marathon of data review, so when she plopped down in her chair she just plugged away on her drink until the Major stopped.

"Oh, hey… Sorry, I'm just used to working out for lunch every day, and a few minutes ago McGee informed me there was no gym onsite." The Major straightened out her uniform as she stood back up.

"Yeah, not in the building, but we've got privileges at the gym here in the Yard." Abby spun around to face her computer and finally set down her cup of Caff-Pow.

"Hmmm… Is it close to the offices here?" Maj. Cassidy returned to her workstation.

"Yeah, not so much. I think it's on the other side of the Yard. At least, Gibbs and Kate would always take a run over there to warm up." The Major looked over at Abby as she was explaining where the gym was and noticed that she had visibly slumped down in her chair with her statement.

The Major decided to toss the ball in on the court, "Still hard to talk about her?"

Abby was somewhat shocked to hear those words, and turned to see the Major's face, but she only found Maj. Cassidy looking down into her computer screen. Still not sure what to make of her asking about Kate, Abby tried to be appear detached, "Sorry, what?"

"Special Agent Todd… I imagine her loss hit everyone pretty hard around here." The Major still had not looked up from her screen.

Now Abby was getting a little irritated, because she did not know how this person would know anything about their Kate. "Look, I don't know what you think you know, but I don't think it's any of your business to be asking." Abby was shooting one of her best "I'm not budging" looks at the Major to punctuate her statement.

Under her breath, and just barely audible to Abby, the Major mumbled, "Some harder than others, I guess." She then looked up at Abby and spoke clearly this time, "I apologize, if you feel that way, Ms Scuito."

Her response sounded cryptic to Abby, and she already had her cockles up, so she was not about to let that one slide. Abby stood up, put her hands on her hips and made ready for battle with the Major. "And just what the heck is that supposed to mean!"

The Major looked up again, "Pardon?"

"IF I feel that way; what the heck does that mean? Of course I feel that way. What business is it of yours about OUR Kate?" Abby's face started turning a fiery red as her anger increased.

The Major did not betray any of the emotion that was welling up inside of her. She simply looked into the eyes of this angry young woman and forced down the pain that was threatening to break through her Marine Corps veneer. "Only that perhaps you are not the only person affected by Special Agent Todd's death, Ms. Scuito ." As Maj. Cassidy spoke the name again an image of a bright, confident and beautiful Secret Service agent entered her minds eye, making it more difficult to hide her own pain.

Abby replayed the words in her head over and over again as she tried to decipher what they really meant. How could this Marine officer know anything about her Kate? How could she think it was okay to even talk about her Kate? What gave her the right to even say Kate's name? And it was then that the words "not the only person" penetrated her rage filled mind. Looking up at the Major with a start, Abby asked, "You knew Kate?" Her face, once filled with unbelievable rage was now the picture of confusion and regret.

The Major just nodded.

It was once again Abby's turn to stand with her mouth agape. When she was finally able to speak, she just uttered, "But how?"

"Do you really think profiling in the Secret Service is a skill taught by just anyone, Ms. Scuito?" Maj. Cassidy went back to her work as Abby processed this piece of information.

Before Abby could say anything, Agent McGee walked into the lab with some news and sandwiches. "Afternoon ladies, I brought you gals some sandwiches and just wanted to let you both know that we are really close to breaking down that code on the Gunny's noggin. Especially after Gibbs got Fornell to go take a look at the body they still have on ice over at Quantico. Now they are working on exhuming the other vics in the hopes that there might be traces of the same markings left on those bodies, too." McGee finally noticed that Abby looked a little flushed, "Hey, Abbs… Are you okay? You look kinda hot." Suddenly realizing how he must have sounded, McGee began to fumble his way out of the slip, "Well, I mean like you got a fever or something. Are you okay?"

As McGee walked closer to Abby, she turned her shock into embarrassment and tried to cover it up by getting mean with McGee, "McGee, we don't have time for one of your gossip reports right now. Can you just go away?" When the words left her lips she was instantly sorry for saying them, especially when she saw the hurt expression falling across Tim McGee's face.

The Major tried to step in and save McGee from Abby's injured pride, "Agent McGee, thank you for bringing the food. And before you head out, did you still want to see those pictures?" The Major dug into the pocket of her metal case and brought out a small envelope of photographs. "I made sure I put these in here last night before I went to bed, lest I forget them in the haze of morning."

McGee took a deep breath and put on a brave face for the Major, "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks Major." When he reached the other side of the workstation, he was completely unable to control the laugh that escaped his mouth, "Oh wow! I had no idea she'd have done that!" McGee just stood there looking at the photograph and shaking his head.

"Well, the folly of youth, I guess. Though I have to admit, there was a serious amount of alcohol involved on that little trip." The Major was chuckling now as well. The happy memories contained in that photograph were some of the things she used to get her through such a tragic loss. "And this one… I'm afraid I have no defense for that catastrophe."

"Oh man! Wow, Major, that really is horrible. Where did you find so much material in that color?" McGee was really laughing now, the exchange of a few moments ago nearly forgotten.

"I'm gonna plead the fifth on that one, Agent McGee. But this one," she turned to the next photograph, "was all my fault."

The image before him was far too much for Timothy McGee to handle, and he began to laugh so hard there were tears in his eyes. The not-so-private laughter was just too much for Abby's curiosity to handle, "What's so funny over there?" And she started walking over to the Major's workstation.

Tim waved her to come in closer on the other side of the workstation, "Abs, did you know that our Kate studied under the Major when she was learning profiling?" McGee carefully passed the first photograph to Abby, "It was when you were getting your Ph.D, wasn't it, Major?"

Abby closed her eyes and took a deep breath before gazing upon the first photo. What she found there brought a cautious smile to her face when the Major answered McGee, "Yeah… She was the only one of my students who was really worth anything." Abby only half heard what the Major was saying, because she was concentrating on the shining face of her dear friend. Seated at a table in a restaurant, wearing a very large Mexican Sombrero and a huge mustache made of straw was Caitlyn Todd. She was surrounded by several other people, including the Major in civilian clothes, and also wearing a Sombrero (but not nearly as big as the one Kate was wearing). It looked like they were singing when the picture was taken, and there were several empty bottles of Tequila on the table. "And with her Secret Service detail, the only one I was able to stay in touch with over the years."

McGee passed her the next photograph and her eyes were instantly assailed with the bright crayon purple that jumped off the page. As her eyes focused in on the face she found there, Abby realized that Kate and the Major were dressed up like giant purple dinosaurs, just like the one in those children's programs, except that they both had large red holes in their costumes (as though the purple beasts had been gunned down). And Abby too was unable to contain the laugh that escaped her lips, even though she covered her mouth instantly before looking up at the Major, "I'm still taking the fifth on that one."

McGee passed over the third photograph, and Abby found an image of Kate completely covered in what looked like green slime dripping from her and laughing; laughing so hard Abby could tell she was about to collapse from laughter. Abby and Tim were laughing hysterically at this point, and Abby was just able to get out, "That was your doing, Major?"

"Guilty… But it was paybacks for a little prank she engineered, so she was totally asking for it." Maj. Cassidy opened the envelope to return the photographs when she felt something else inside, "Hmmm… I must have grabbed another picture by mistake." As she brought it out of the envelope and turned it around to look at it, her cheeks instantly blushed at seeing the image and she clutched it to her chest, "Oooo… I'm gonna kill my husband."

McGee and Abby were far too intrigued to let that one go, "Come on now, you can't leave us hanging like that." McGee quipped.

"Yeah, if it's Kate, I'd really like to see it." Abby asked with her impish look having returned.

She pulled it away from her chest to glimpse at it once more, "Well, since I'm the only one it embarrasses now, I guess it wouldn't be too bad." She was about to hand it over when she had to add one more proviso, "But just remember, I was still in my twenties when this was taken, so it was still acceptable." That last statement caused Abby and McGee to look in each other's eyes for a moment for a silent chuckle between them, and then the Major handed them the photograph. "I still can't believe she talked me into wearing that thing."

McGee and Abby anxiously took the offered photograph and were instantly rewarded with the sight of Kate and the Major sunning themselves on the deck of a boat, wearing some very skimpy, two-piece, swim suits. "Nice one, Major!" Abby was the first one to speak.

Tim could not help but add his own commentary, "Whatever you do, Major… Do NOT show that one to DiNozzo." And with his little joke Abby and Tim started to laugh uncontrollably again just as Ziva walked into the lab.

"What is so funny? And why shouldn't the Major show something to DiN-." She is stopped from her questions when Abby turned the photograph around for Ziva to see. "Oh my! Good call, McGee… Tony would not be able to get that image out of his mind... Ever!" And with that, Ziva joined in on the laughter as well.

Their laughter may have continued for quite a while, if Gibbs had not walked into the lab for a status report. "At this rate, we'll be lucky to have anything by the time Fornell comes back in here with his lackies to take our case." They all worked to stifle their laughter, but it was quite difficult and their faces betrayed the effort. "McGee, you have another sequence to get working on and crypto is looking for you, again."

Tim handed the photographs back to Maj. Cassidy and quickly exited the room.

"Abby, I'm still waiting for that report on the material found under the Gunny's nails." Abby gave him one of her civilian, wrong-handed salutes, crossed the room and grabbed a report from her desk, handing it to Gibbs. "Well, if you had it, you should have given to me already."

"I did, Boss… But I always keep an extra copy on my desk for when you haven't checked your own before coming down here." Abby flashed one of those electric smiles of hers at Gibbs before sitting back down in her chair and getting back to work.

"Fine… David, what are you doing down here?" His glower showed ruined strength, if just so he could make everyone around him jump.

"I was just dropping off some evidence for trace and went to investigate what the noise was all about… Now I am going back upstairs to help Tony track down those night markers." Ziva was already on her way out the door by the time she had uttered those final words.

Now it was time to turn his attention to the Major, "And when am I gonna get that profile?"

As the word profile left his mouth, the Major was taking a page off of the printer and handing it to Gibbs. "Preliminary report is done now. I'll have the profile on your desk tomorrow afternoon." The Major looked down at her watch after she turned back to her workstation and started closing up her equipment. "And if you'll excuse me, Gunny. I have an appointment that I am about to be late for."

Before Gibbs had a chance to look up from the report, the Major was throwing her jacket on and headed straight for the doors. She stopped only long enough to check herself in the mirror before quick-timing it to the elevators.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Someone asked me about the title of this fic, and I had to admit that there hadn't been much to explain it in the first part of the story… But this should leave you with a little clue. 

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In the Director's waiting area, Maj. Cassidy arrived, with her cover tucked neatly under her arm and looking every bit the part of a well groomed, starched and polished Marine Corps officer. The Director's assistant, upon seeing the Major, got up and went to the doors of Director Sheppard's office, "Go right in, Major. The Director was expecting you."

Maj. Cassidy instantly chastised herself for letting time get away from her and was angry for being late. When she entered the office, Director Sheppard looked up from her desk with a somewhat startled expression on her face. She looked at her watch and a slight blush came to her cheeks, 'Gosh, I am so sorry, Major. I guess the time got away from me."

"No, Ma'am, it is I who should be sorry. My tardiness is inexcuseable and-." The Major is cut off by the red-headed Director.

"I'm not sure what clock you are looking at, Major, but my watch says it is precisely fifteen minutes before our original appointment time." The Director stood up and walked around to the other side of her desk, and then took a seat, motioning for the Major to do the same. "I only asked you to arrive a little ahead of the SecNav so we could chat about your time here, so far."

The Major relaxed a small amount once she realized she was indeed not late. "Yes, Ma'am." And the Major took the seat opposite the Director.

"So, I hope Jethro hasn't been too hard on you this week. I know he can be somewhat abrasive to most people, but I had hoped that your being a Marine would help to keep his feathers a little less ruffled." She flashed a knowing grin at the Major.

Before Maj. Cassidy could answer, the Secretary of Defense walked into the room, unannounced. "If you're talking about Gibbs, that's seems highly unlikely." The Major was instantly on her feet and standing at attention in full salute, her cover still tucked neatly under her left arm. "Stand down, Major. This isn't the Pentagon, and I am not 'officially' here." The Major returned to parade rest, but did not relax in the presence of the SecDef. He crossed the room and took Director Sheppard into a friendly embrace, "Good to see you, Jennifer. And glad to have your political expertise on this little project of ours."

"Always good to see you, Sir. And I think we have the perfect team in place for this 'little project.'" The Secretary and the Director took their seats, and left the Major standing. Once she realized the Major had not sat back down, Director Sheppard also noticed that there was a distinct shortage of chairs and so she called into the waiting area, "Louise, can you bring in a couple of chairs, please?"

The Director's assistant entered the room carrying two chairs, "Already on the way, Ma'am." She handed the first chair to the Major and the Secretary directed her to sit.

"So, we're just waiting for that ungrateful lackey of mine, then are we?" The Secretary of Defense joked with a wink.

"You won't be waiting long, Sir. At least, not as long as it takes you to make a move in that chess game you and the Commandant have running." In walked the Secretary of the Navy and the Major was once again on her feet in full salute. "Ah yes, well, let's dispense with that shall we, Major. No time for all that protocol you Marines are so fond of today." And the SecNav motioned for her to return to her seat as he took his own.

"Maj. Cassidy, the SecNav, the Director and myself are here for a status report. The Commandant would have been here too, but he had a briefing with the JCS this afternoon." He paused only a moment to turn his gaze full on the Major by shifting in his chair, "So, we all heard about the night marker discovery… Good catch, young lady… But where are we on getting this madman sorted out, Major?"

The Major swallowed hard and took a deep breath to get her nerve up for talking to these very important and powerful people, "Sir, I have given Special Agent Gibbs my preliminary assessment, based strictly on the evidence. When I return to my workstation, I will begin putting together my profile of the UnSub and should have the full analysis in front of Special Agent Gibbs by tomorrow afternoon, Sir."

The three power brokers looked at each other and shared a private communication of their satisfaction with the Major's report. The SecNav was the first to speak, "Didn't I tell you those blasted Fibbies wouldn't have anything on this crew, Don?"

The SecDef laughed at the private joke, "Yes, yes… But the point of this exercise is to actually SOLVE the case before handing it over to Fornell and his team. And in that vein, Maj. Cassidy?"

"Aye, Sir."

"What do you think of the chances that this team will have a suspect in custody before the end of the two weeks?" All eyes were now on the Major and she was feeling the pressure.

Taking another calming breath before she spoke, the Major answered the question with perfect honesty, "Sir, I would be willing to bet my clusters on Special Agent Gibbs and his team having a suspect under surveillance by the end of the week, Sir."

The room erupted with the laughter of the Secretaries and the Director, and the Major was worried she had overstepped her bounds.

Shaking his head to punctuate his delight, the SecNav was again the first to speak, "I told you, Don… When you work with good people, it always outweighs technology and numbers." And he slapped his thigh to add further weight to his claim.

"Well, that might just be the case, Jim. So, why don't we let this Marine get out of here and back down to business… That is what Marines do best, isn't it Maj. Cassidy?" The SecDef added a wink to the end of his question, trying to let the Major know that she had done well, and that they were done with her for now.

"Aye, aye, Sir. Among other things, Sir." The Major stood up, brought her right arm up in a salute that was returned by both Secretaries and she about faced right out the doors.

The Director regained the attentions of the Secretaries, "You know, gentlemen… It really isn't fair playing with a stacked deck, don't you?"

The SecDef leaned back in his chair with a satisfied look and a large grin growing on his face when he answered her with a glint of evil in his eyes, "Who ever said I played fair, Madame Director, was a damn liar." And the trio restarted their conspiratorial laughter all over again.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This is a short one, but if my writing keeps up tonight, I'll put the next one up before I call it a night 

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Dr. Mallard casually walked into the break room of NCIS headquarters in the hopes of a respite from the nonsensical blatherings of his assistant, Mr. Palmer, but what he found there was slightly disturbing to him. Seated at the table, holding her chin in her hands and a horribly dejected expression on her face, Ducky found Abby.

Ducky tucked his own chin down and stood beside Abby when he placed a caring hand upon her shoulder, "Why the long face, my dear?"

Abby looked up at Ducky with the saddest of eyes, "Ducky, I am such a jerk."

Ducky chuckled a bit at her self-derision, "Now, now, Abigail… I doubt that very much, so just tell me what has caused this latest bout of melancholy." He patted her gently on the head as he took the seat beside her.

Abby leaned her head on Ducky's shoulder and heaved a deep sigh when he brought his arm around her. "I really did it this time, Ducky… I mean really did it."

Ducky just continued to pat her arm, "From the sounds of it, I imagine this involves Timothy, again."

"AH… Ducky not everything I do wrong involves McGee…" Abby sat up, attempting to rebuke Ducky's assumption. "Well, not all of it anyway." And she sunk back down into his shoulder.

"Of course, my dear… Of course; now why don't you just talk to me about it and let us see if we can find a way to fix things, shall we?" Ducky just held her tighter and waited for her to begin.

She took another deep breath and quickly exhaled it, "Ducky, I made a total ass of myself with the Major. I mean big time, big time, Duck."

Now it was Ducky's turn to sigh, "Ah yes, well then, perhaps we should both devise horrible punishments for ourselves." Abby turned to look Ducky in the eye to show him her confusion, "I am afraid that I too, behaved quite poorly for the Major."

"You too, Ducky? What happened?"

"Well, let us just say that the old fellow felt a bit threatened by the young hot shot coming in to review his work… And perhaps I went a little too far in defending my findings." Abby was shocked to hear Ducky's confession. "Once I realized the error of my ways, I made certain to apologize to the young woman, but I am still feeling a bit iniquitous in regards to my behavior."

Abby wrapped her arms around Ducky and hugged him tight, "That's okay, Duckman… At least you had a good reason for going off on the Major. Me? I was just being a jerk." Abby let go of Ducky and got up from her seat. "I really did it this time, Ducky… Plus, I couldn't even stop at being a jerk to the Major, I had to take it out on poor McGee." She had started pacing back and forth, "First of all, I pulled a Gibbs and totally tried to interrogate her. That was bad, but that was the amateur stuff, Duck… I was just warming up for being a complete idiot, ya know."

She was chewing on her fingernails as she continued to pace and talk, "I mean, she just took me by surprise, ya know. I wasn't expecting her to ask about Kate. And I sure didn't have any idea she knew what she was talking about. So, ya know, I went off and said like terrible things, Ducky…" Her arm was gesturing wildly as she spoke, "As soon as I actually thought about it I realized what was going on, and then I felt like total crap, ya know. But before I could figure it all out, McGee came in and I was like totally embarrassed and a little freaked out and I just jumped on him from out of nowhere. He looked like I just shot his dog, but I was just so angry at myself, ya know, and I didn't have time to think before he came in and I just spewed out my anger at him and totally took him by surprise. And then I felt even worse when the Major totally covered for me and got McGee to go to her side of the room."

Abby turned and stood facing Ducky dead on and tried to put even more emphasis in her statement, "Ducky I was like completely horrible to her and she was trying to help me save face with McGee!" Her eyes were now wide with her astonishment, "How could I have been such a jerk to someone like that?!" With her energy expended in her explanation she dropped back into the chair once more.

Ducky, again, placed his caring hand upon her shoulder and tried to calm the young Goth down, "Oh my dear, I am quite certain that the Major understood what was really happening. I doubt that she would hold any such thing against, Abigail."

Abby looked up at him with a tragic and worrisome expression, "I was just so mean, Ducky… And so wrong… How can I make up for something like that? To either of them?"

Ducky just patted her hand and shook his head, "I am certain that we shall think of something, my dear… We shall think of something for the both of us."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm 2 chapters ahead right now, so here's another one for what I hope is your reading pleasure. 

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Typing with one hand and operating the mouse in the other, Maj. Gwen Cassidy was hard at work formulating her conclusions on the GySgt. Furmansky case when Special Agent Tony DiNozzo came walking into the lab looking for Abby. "Hey, where's Abby?"

The Major barely acknowledged Tony's entrance, and instead of looking away from her computer screen, she just continued typing away, never once letting her focus shift from her work. "Wasn't here when I got back, probably having lunch." Her words were short and to the point.

Tony quickly became curious as to what the Major was working on and moved in closer to get a better view. "Huh, she was supposed to be working on some trace for me… I guess she must have gotten distracted."

Tony tried to look non-chalantly over the Major's shoulder, but soon learned that he had been caught, "Profile of the UnSub… Trying to get it done before tomorrow afternoon." What Tony actually saw was the Major switching back and forth across multiple windows, copying one bit of data here, and pasting it into the report, while typing the additional info along side it. He watched her scan through tables of data to find the one piece she needed and placing it into the report with such deft skill he wasn't sure he was watching a person work, so much as a machine. His eyes were spinning in his head by the time he broke off from watching the Major.

He shook his head to clear away the fog that was quickly building, "Good grief, woman! How can you work like that!"

"Years of practice," was all she said, and she continued to plug away on her report.

Tony was smiling widely to try and hide his amazement, and he was about to make a sly comment when Ziva walked in and interrupted him, "DiNozzo, you better head back upstairs… Gibbs is mad as a tailor looking for you."

"Hatter! Mad as a Hatter!" Tony shook his head, "If you can't get 'em right, Ziva, don't even try, please?"

"Whatever, Gibbs is looking for you and he does not look happy." Ziva shrugged it off without a care and started looking through one of the folders on Abby's workstation.

"Yeah," Tony said while taking a seat, "Gibbs is just gonna have to-OOOOWWW!" Tony is stopped short by the smack to the back of the head from Gibbs' open hand.

"Is gonna have your hide tanning in the sun if you don't get me some intell on those blasted markers." Gibbs' face was anything but amicable, and Tony jumped from his seat as he was heading back out of the lab. "David, what are you doing down here again?"

Ziva continued looking through a stack of files on Abby's desk, "Well, I was hoping Abby had finished the analysis on the ballistics, but I don't see the report here." She closed up the folder and looked up, "So, I guess I will be going back upstairs to keep working on the markers until the ballistics are done."

After watching Agent David exit the lab, Gibbs turned his attention on the Major, who appeared to not even have noticed the little display taking place right in front of her. What he did see was the fact that she had slipped some headphones on and her eyes darting back and forth across her computer screen furiously, and he could hear the sound of the computer keys tapping away at lightning speed. "And I suppose you expect me to believe you are actually operating that comput-." Gibbs is stopped in his comment when he walked around the workstation to find the Major seamlessly working between countless windows and operating a computer strategy game at the same time. "What the devil is that?" His brow was creased and his eyes were squinted, and that was when Abby re-entered the lab cautiously.

She quickly noticed Gibbs in the room and went to his side when he motioned for her to come over. When she got there, she too was mesmerized by the tremendous volume of activity going on with Maj. Cassidy's computer. When the smile started creeping over Abby's face, it was Gibbs' turn to stand with his mouth slightly agape. "What is she doing?" was all he was able to say.

Abby just nodded her head and then started to explain, "See the headphones block out extraneous noise (us), and also allow for a certain rhythm and cadence to be created, but they also keep a certain part of the brain occupied so that the part of the brain responsible for analyzing data can focus more strongly… The strategy game, well, that takes away all the extra processes the brain uses and breaks it down to the basest elements so that a person can concentrate on the more abstract and intricate models of analyzation. It's really out there kind of stuff, and I've only read about studies using it, I've never seen anyone who had a high enough functioning brain who could pull it off. I mean, this is like Einstein level kind of stuff, because you have your brain going in like twenty million directions to be able to even attempt this kind of thing, because its whole purpose is to structure a brain that has such a wide focus into pinpointing on a very specific analytical task. Wow." Abby stood there completely without speech after she explained what she knew about the process to Gibbs. And Gibbs just stood there, his mouth still agape, his eyes squinted and his brow furrowed as he switched his gaze back and forth from Abby to the Major.

After what felt like an eternity, Gibbs shook his head to clear his thoughts and threw up his arms in defeat. "Whatever it is, it better get me my profile in a hurry." And with that he walked out of the lab shaking his head and gesturing his defeat once more.

Abby, however, was completely entranced by what the Major was doing and could not seem to pull herself away from looking over the Major's shoulder. She probably stood there for a good thirty minutes, just trying to follow one part of what was going on when the Major stopped abruptly and found Abby there at her shoulder, "Sorry, did you need something, Ms. Scuito?" The Major reached into her case and pulled out her CD's, retrieving her next selection.

Abby was suddenly taken aback the effortless way the Major was able to come out of such an intense activity. "Um, no… Well, yeah, I guess… Umm…How did you learn to do that!"

"What? Oh, you mean the mis-directional focusing technique?" Abby just nodded her head as the Major found the CD she was looking for, "Oh well, one of my professors at Johns Hopkins was very intrigued by my study techniques and wanted to try and apply the theory to a specific person, but most of his case studies had yielded 'unsatisfactory results.' So, when he saw me in the analysis lab, listening to some Strauss, scanning through videotaped sessions, taking notes, and adding data to the tables he figured I would be his ideal case study subject." The Major switched out the CD's and then reached behind her for another folder of photographs to load into the scanner.

"So, you were like the first person to pull this theory off?" Abby was still in complete awe of what she had just witnessed.

"Not really, it's actually something that occurs in probably three to five percent of the population. They figure it's actually some form of ADD, but it's a form that only occurs in people with better control mechanisms in their brains. The true ADD person is without those controls and they are unable to focus their minds in order to retain information in meaningful ways. I think of it as the hummingbird effect; you can't make a humming bird slow down without killing it, so you just have to find ways of speeding up the flow and style of information in order to meet the needs of the humming bird brain."

"Wait, so you think that by increasing the rate of data flow, someone with ADD can achieve the higher functioning?" Abby was desperately trying to keep up with the Major's thought process.

"Right, like with you… You just speed up the rate with which you obtain data to process and your brain doesn't become as easily distracted and you are able to focus on the data flow, simply because of the speed at which it is arriving in your brain, right?" The Major had finally given Abby her full attention.

"Right! I've been trying to explain that for years! And no one ever got it." Abby practically jumped for joy at her vindication.

"Now, granted, it doesn't mean that everyone can understand you all the time, but it does mean that you are able to function in a world that might otherwise have never been available to you, without that focusing ability. I experimented with my baby brother a little on that theory, and he's now a combat communications expert. He is able to handle all available communications systems at one time and direct a crew of ten people simultaneously. They even had me design a test program for him to run drills with his crews. Now that he has a family, he trains comm techs for the Navy at Norfolk, but when he was working in fleet, he was simply awesome!" The Major actually showed some pride in her statement and Abby could feel it, even though she was still dumbfounded by seeing the Major accomplish such a feat.

"That's really cool… So, is the Navy like a family thing with you?" Abby decided she needed to stall a little while before broaching the topic of her earlier insanity.

"Sort of… My Dad didn't serve, but he was a computer tech for DOD and then for NASA, until he retired a year and a half ago after fourty years in the field. One grandfather was Navy under Halsey and the other with the 1st Marines during World War II, all my uncles served in various branches, and all four of my brothers have done some time in either the Marines or the Navy, though me and the baby are the only career military. My sister declined to serve herself, but her husband is a DI at Camp Lejune. Family history of service dates back to the 1700's. We Baldwin's have never been known to back down from a fight, or a bottle." The Major winked with her last comment, letting Abby know that she was not angry with her.

"Wow, that's like a lot of olive drab and navy blue, Major." Abby started walking back to her workstation and then decided it was about time she owned up to her bad behavior from earlier. "Major?"

The Major was stretching her neck from side to side, "Yes, ma'am."

Abby took in a deep breath, hoping it would give her just a bit more courage, "I umm… I wanted to apologize for earlier… Ya know, when I kinda lost my mind for a little while."

"It's called grief, Ms. Scuito. And it-."

"Look, I know I screwed up earlier, but do you have to keep calling me that? It makes me feel like a total jackass." Abby's outburst startled the Major a bit.

"I apologize, but given the circumstances, I thought using the familiar was not something I should take for granted."

"Oh." Abby was again sorry for having spoken so quickly, "Yeah, well I can see where you might think that, but honestly, I don't even know who Ms. Scuito is, 'cause she sure ain't me." Abby tried to make the Major understand her outburst and when the Major nodded at her, she figured it was time to get on with it. "Look, Major… I'm an emotional person, but they usually aren't my emotions. So, when someone says or does something that makes those things come out, I get a little freaked, okay? I mean, I was so not ready for someone to ask me about Kate. She was like my best friend and all, and her leaving was not a good time. I guess I just need to deal with that a little more than I have, but it's hard, ya know?"

Abby started wringing her hands and looking up as she spoke and was unaware that the Major had risen from behind her workstation. "See, me and Kate could talk about stuff, and it was cool. She would get a little shocked sometimes, but she totally didn't hold it against me or anything and that was what made her awesome. Plus, she was like the only person I could talk to about like God stuff, ya know, because she still held on to that and Gibbs is like so closed off on that subject, but Kate totally got me on that level. She was the person I could, ya know, that I could-." Abby was struggling for the words when she was completely taken aback by the Major standing right beside her when she spoke.

"Be yourself with, no matter what?" The Major gingerly laid a hand upon Abby's shoulder and she was instantly broken down into tears. That was when Abby did something she never thought possible, she reached for the Major and found comfort in her arms as she sobbed tears that had been sitting below the surface for far too long.

Abby was completely overtaken with the grief she had been suppressing ever since Kate's death. She had no control over the emotions that now came flooding out of her very soul and she was racked with sobbing as the Major simply held her close and stroked her back.

Once the waves of grief began to relax their assault on her heart, Abby realized that she had completely fallen apart, not only in front of the Major, but in the Major's arms. And this was someone she barely knew. How could she be so unraveled by this Marine officer that she lost her tightly held grip on her emotions? That was when she found a tissue being handed to her from what seemed like out of nowhere. She took the tissue and wiped her eyes, only to find another tissue following the first, which she also took and wiped her face. Holding the used tissues in her hand, she sheepishly looked up into the Major's face and found a kind and compassionate smile waiting for her there. "Better now?"

Abby nodded a little, and looked very much like a lonely child at that moment, "Sorry about that… I don't know where that came from." She sat up and grabbed another tissue from the tabletop and blew her nose. The Major moved away slightly from Abby, but stayed close enough to return to her post, should the breakdown happen again. "Thanks… I guess I just needed to get that out… And maybe I needed it with somebody who knew her too."

"I understand… Sometimes it still hits me pretty hard. She was a remarkable woman, and an amazing friend." The Major, satisfied that Abby had regained her composure, started walking back to her workstation.

Abby sniffled a little, "What do you do when it gets to you?"

The Major sat down in her chair and contemplated her answer a moment, "In the cold months, I fix enchiladas and my husband and I talk about the trips we took to Mexico… In the warmer months, we take the boat out and leave some flowers on the water for her. I'd known her for a very long time and it's still hard to think she's gone."

Abby nodded in agreement, "I still have to catch myself talking about her like she's still here."

"Well, knowing Kate, I'd say she probably is still here, in one form or another." The Major gave Abby a knowing look and she was finally able to smile a little.

That was when she remembered what had happened shortly after Kate's death, when she was seeing Kate around the lab dressed up like a rocker Goth and she chuckled a bit. "Yeah, one form or another."

Abby was about to get back to work when the Major spoke up again, "Uh, Abby?"

She turned around to hear her, "Yeah?"

"You might want to freshen up a little before you get back to work." The Major was already getting back to work when Abby found a pocket mirror and nearly fell out of her own seat at the site she beheld. Her makeup was all over the place from her crying fit, and as she got up to go into her office to fix her makeup, she noticed the Major was about to pull a sweater on over her shirt, which was totally smeared with Abby's dark makeup.

"Oh god! I'm so sorry about that!"

The Major finished pulling the sweater down and getting her collar out from underneath it when she simply shrugged it off with a comment, "Hazards of the job… Think nothing of it." Maj. Cassidy put her headphones back on a got down to work once again as Abby went into her office to clean up her face and get back to work herself.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry for the shortness on this one… But the next one should more than make up for it… Now to finish writing Chapter 14 

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Special Agent Jethro Gibbs walked right passed the woman in the waiting area and directly into Director Sheppard's office without so much as a "by your leave." Actually, stormed into the office might be a better description of what he just did, but Director Sheppard had been expecting this visit, so she was fully prepared for Gibbs to go off this time. The rampaging bull expression on his face was no surprise to her and neither was his forceful slamming of her door. "What the hell is going on around here, Jenn?!"

She simply waited for him to continue, because she knew it was more of a rhetorical question than one he wanted an answer for, "I've got David telling me she saw the SecDef leaving the building and Ducky had lunch with the SecNav after his meeting with you. Then I've got this hot-shot from MI in here turning my people over on their ears every time I turn around. So, I want to know what those two old buzzards have brewing around here or I'm gonna start crackin' some skulls!"

Jennifer Sheppard leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest before speaking, "Are you finished, yet?"

Quickly deflated by her casual remark, Jethro Gibbs dropped down into one of the chairs in front of the Director's desk, "I'm getting real tired of the run around, Jenn."

"I understand that, Jethro, but you know what DOD is like sometimes… Lots of secrets and lots of hands stirring pots. The SecNav and the SecDef have two of the biggest spoons in that arena." She shot him one of those raised eyebrows to punctuate her statement and Gibbs relaxed a bit.

"I don't like being out of the loop when it comes to my own people, Jenn… And I get the distinct impression that this Maj. Cassidy is not just here for to profile the suspect… That she's here to profile all of us, as well." Gibbs shot the Director back with a raised eyebrow.

"And do you honestly expect me to confirm or deny your suspicions, Jethro?" The Director knew how to play this game as well.

He tried one last time to stare her down, and when that failed he just grunted, "Aaarrrgghh!" got up and stormed right back out of the Director's office.

Shortly after Director Sheppard heard the door to her main office slam, her assistant was standing in the doorway, "Should I expect him to come in like that a few more times, Ma'am?"

"Most definitely…" They both laughed at her comment and then the Director added, "And before it's all over, he'll be ready to throw someone out a window… So, let's just try to stand out of arm's reach for a little while, shall we?"


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I felt bad about how short the last one was… So, here's another chapter to keep you going… I figure there are at least 4 more chapters after this one, so I hope you have enjoyed it so far :) 

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Abby entered the result of the final spectral analysis into her report and pushed away from her terminal with a great effort. "FINALLY!" she yelled. She then stretched her arms up over her head and tried to work the kinks out of her back and neck. Once she was done with that, she looked down at her watch, only to discover that it was after midnight, again. She realized that it was a good thing she kept extra clothes here at work, because some nights, it was just easier to curl up on her couch and crash in her office. Gibbs had requisitioned that couch for her almost two years ago after he had found her sleeping on that cushion she called a futon on the floor one too many times. She really like her couch, and she liked it even more because Gibbs helped her get it. He realized that she worked just as many hours as he did (and sometimes more), and that had earned her even more respect in his eyes, and that was something Abby found precious.

She got up to cross the lab and go to her office when a slight bit of movement caught her attention. Still clicking away at her terminal was the Major, and it looked to Abby like she had not moved in the numerous hours since the last time they spoke, sometime the afternoon before. Abby realized it had been at least eight hours since they had communicated in any form, which meant the Major had been working without any break in at least that long.

When she moved closer to inspect that this was indeed reality and not some work induced delusion, she found several protein bar wrappers in the trash can, as well as a couple of sports drink bottles, which meant that at least the Major was not going to pass out from malnutrition. But she was just as shocked to find the Major still flying through programs and windows at the same breakneck speed as she had earlier in the day. Abby was convinced that no one could accomplish something like this without the aide of caffeine (or any other stimulant) in any form, let alone for this length of time. She was convinced the Major must be some kind of energy machine or something… Or maybe like that rabbit in those lame commercials, but whatever it was, she was still plowing through the mountains of data that had been collected on this and the other cases, as well as case studies and who knew what else she was using as source material. Abby was sure of only one thing; she never wanted to be in competition for anything with this woman.

She reached over and tapped the Major on the shoulder very lightly, and the Major simply took the headphones off and looked in Abby's direction, "What's up?"

"Umm…" Abby shifted a little uneasily, "Gwen, you do know that it's like after midnight, right?"

The Major pointed at the countdown clock she had running at the bottom of the computer screen, "Only way to keep track of time when you work like this… I'm just trying to get this thing finished, and decided to keep working until my husband was able to pick me up." She titled her neck from side to side, trying to work out some invisible kinks, "He's on-call tonight, and has been in and out of delivery since about 2000 hours." She then pointed at an IM screen in the other corner. "When he has a few minutes between rounds and deliveries, he checks up on me."

"Wow… Sounds like you guys do this kind of thing a lot." Abby was in awe at their efficiency.

The Major just chuckled at her comment, "Yeah, you could say that… A Navy Obstetrician and a high level Pentagon staff member?" Her face was the picture of normalcy, "Believe me, we're used to odd hours and time away from each other."

"I guess you've got a point there…" Abby looked around the lab absently for a moment and then made a decision, "Hey, I haven't eaten for a while, you wanna grab something at the diner down the block?"

The Major looked down at her dwindling supply of protein bars and decided it might not be a bad way to make it through the night. She blew out a long breath and then shut down her computer, closed the lid to her metal case and straightened up her area before getting to her feet, "Sounds like a wonderful idea. Walk or ride?"

Abby wriggled up her nose, "Well, it is Southeast D.C. after midnight."

"And I did leave my sidearm at home, so I guess it's ride. I am without a car, so I'll call us a cab." The Major brought out her cell phone and was about to call when Abby stopped her.

"Actually, I have my car here, so we can take that… As long as I stop in the Morgue and grab a sheet to throw over the seat." The Major looked at her with curiosity, "Ah, there's a serious glitter problem in there."

She nodded her head and chuckled. "So, I'll swing by the Morgue and grab the sheet, while you get the car started and meet you up there?"

"Perfect!" Abby jumped right to it and grabbed her bag before hitting the elevator as the Major took the stairs down to the Morgue.

As Abby reached her car, she realized it was much more than a glitter problem, and she started collecting all the Caff-Pow cups and flyers and magazines and stray items of clothing into her arms and tried to carry it all to the back of the car, then tried to open the lid to her trunk.

The first stack of plastic cups hit the ground in a crash just as the Major walked up to her in the garage. "So, just a little glitter problem?" she said as she bent down to pick up the stack of cups that were rolling on the ground. The Major popped the lid on the trunk and then turned back to Abby when she saw what was in there.

Abby peeked over the pile of stuff in her arms, "Man! I was wondering where I left that!" She then tossed all of the things in her arms into the trunk, pushing it around until it all fit around the large male dummy torso. "Ah… Long story, and not really worth mentioning." She slammed the trunk lid down and spun around quickly with her keys in hand, "Really long story, so not worth it. Let's go!" The Major laid the sheet over the seat and got in while Abby started the car and they left the parking garage.

It was only a couple of blocks to the diner and the Major fed the meter where they parked out front. Upon entering the diner their senses were instantly assaulted with all the aromas of quality comfort food. They took their seats in the booth at the end of the row and the waitress casually made her way down to them.

"Another all-nighter, Abby?" the woman said as she turned a coffee cup over on the table in front of Abby and commenced to pour her some coffee.

"Yeah, well, ya know what they say; no rest for the wicked." Abby rubbed her eyes a little as the woman put some cream down on the table in front of Abby.

"And how about you, Major, do you fall into that category, too?" The woman was about to turn over a second coffee cup when Maj. Cassidy stopped her.

"None for me, thanks… And you must be pretty good to mark me for a Major in this sweater."

The woman just laughed, "I've spent a lifetime 'round the Navy Yard and the Marine Barracks, so you might call it an occupational hazard." She cleared the other cups from the table and turned back to the women, "So, what can I get you to drink, Major?"

"Ah, some OJ would be fantastic, and a glass of water, please?"

The waitress shook her head and chuckled, "Since I already know what Abby is gonna have, what can I get you, Major? The kitchen is at your disposal… Anyone workin' an all-nighter with this one deserves it." She bumped Abby in the shoulder with her hip and Abby giggled at the private joke.

"Come on, Tanya, I'm not that bad… Most of the time." Abby had returned to her gloriously impish expression.

The Major did not see a menu, so she just rambled something off the top of her head, "How about some scrambled eggs, whole grain toast and some kind of meat product?"

"Well, for meat, we got some steak, bacon, sausage patties, I'm out of the links 'til mornin', and I got some ham slices, too." The woman was still tormenting Abby playfully as she rattled off the list to the Major.

"Hmmm… I've been pretty good this week, so let's go with the ham slice… And maybe some hashbrowns?" As the Major listed off her requests she realized just how hungry she had gotten.

"Comin' right up… Just holler if you need anything before then." And as she left, Maj. Cassidy realized she already had her glass of water, and had not even noticed the waitress putting it there, so she took a drink.

Abby turned around in her seat to holler into the kitchen, "So, what am I having tonight, Tanya!"

The voice that came out of the kitchen was decidedly not belonging to the waitress, "Seein' as I just finished whippin' up a batch of waffle batter, I'ma guessin' your havin' some waffles wit my Sally's famous preserves, Missy." The purely masculine voice was matched by the large, burley man that came out of the kitchen door.

The man walked towards the booth where they were both sitting, but Abby jumped out of her seat to run up to the man and wrap her arms around him. "Freddy!"

"Well ain't that the best reason to have to come in 'n' work tonight," the older man said through Abby's embrace.

"I haven't seen you in so long… What in the world has you out here in the middle of the night, old man?" Abby walked him towards the booth where the Major was still sitting.

"Aww, we had another cook quit on us… And I ain't lettin' Tanya work in here at night by herself… You know what these animals has been gettin' like 'round here." The man's gray hair had enveloped his entire head and gave him an air of gentility that the Major was certain had not been there in his youth.

"Yeah, don't I know it… Freddy, I want you to meet a new friend… This is Maj. Gwen Cassidy." Abby extended a sweeping arm in the Major's direction.

"Pleased to meet'cha, Ma'am." He offered her his hand after wiping it off on his apron quickly.

"Honor to meet you, Sir."

He turned to Abby with a shocked look on his face, "Since when do you cotton to folks what got manners, Miss Thing?"

Abby laughed out loud that time, "Hey now, I brought Gibbs in to meet you!"

"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout." And he slipped a sideways wink at the Major to show he was just fooling around with Abby. When she was finished giving him her hurt expression, she sat back down and Freddy placed a glass of orange juice down on the table. "Now, you ladies just relax, and I'll have that food right on out for ya in no time a'tall."

Abby was all smiles now, and she sipped on her coffee before speaking again, "That family has been a fixture around this neighborhood for more than sixty years. Freddy took over the business after his father-in-law took ill back in the sixties or seventies. And Tanya literally grew up in here, just like her Mom did before her."

The Major nodded her head, "Sounds like a good place, then." Before the Major could say anything else, her cell phone started ringing with what sounded like the National Anthem. She took the phone out of her pocket and went to answer it after seeing the number, "Sorry, I need to take this one." And with that she got up out of the booth, answering the phone as she walked out of the diner for privacy, "Cassidy… Aye, Sir… Standby…" And with that last word, she was out the door, leaving Abby to wonder what in the world was going on.

The Major was out there for quite a few minutes talking very intently to whoever had called her at one o'clock in the morning. By the time she started making her way back into the diner, the food had already arrived. "Sorry about that, Abby… I've been waiting for that call for a few hours now… Just took them a little longer than anticipated."

Abby was trying to speak through a mouthful of waffle, but she was curious, "Took who longer for what?"

The Major chuckled at her attempt to speak through the food, and handed her another napkin, "You might need this." And she sat down, "Wow, this looks fantastic!" Without saying another word, she simply started eating without even acknowledging that Abby had asked her a question. Abby decided that it was on purpose, so she let the subject drop. Besides, the food really was fantastic.

They continued to eat in relative silence until they were both circling the drain on being able to finish their respective plates. Abby was the first to speak, "So, you knew Kate a long time?"

"You could say that," was all that the Major offered up.

Abby was not going to let this one slide, "How long?"

The Major smiled because she knew this was not going to go away this time, "Well, actually, she and my baby brother dated in college." The bombshell had been dropped.

"Oh my God! Are you serious!" Abby was in total shock with that one.

"Yeah, they were kind of serious for about two semesters and the summer break. But just before he went away for drill at the end of the summer, she got kind of freaked out by his military aspirations and they broke up." The Major popped the last bite of meat into her mouth.

"Wow… That had to be weird for him when you two became so close, huh?" Abby was running her finger through the leftover preserves on her plate and then stuck her finger in her mouth.

"Not really… It was through one of her brothers that she met my brother… He was serving under my husband, so she just couldn't get rid of us." The Major finished the last bite of her hashbrowns and placed her napkin on the plate to signify that she was indeed finished.

"No kidding! Wow, so you know like the whole family?" Abby was still working on the preserves.

"Well, yeah, seeing as J.T. was Michael's best man at his wedding, I'd have to say we know the whole family." Maj. Cassidy leaned back in the booth a little.

"That is so cool… I wished I could have gotten to know them a little. I only saw them briefly at the funeral." Abby thought about that statement a moment, "Hey! I didn't see you at the funeral."

The Major blew out another huge breath, signifying that this was not something easy for her to talk about, "Yeah, well, that was because I was working the intell on the case. Brass thought it best if our friendship was not part of the equation, and they also knew that the family would be asking questions." She paused a few moments before continuing, "And they were worried Gibbs would connect the dots, and start questioning me as well… Because, quite honestly, they doubted his judgment on the matter."

Abby shook her head, and realized that they really were on their own when they were looking for Ari. "So, if Director Sheppard hadn't gotten Ziva out here, we'd have never known what was going on?"

Maj. Cassidy shook her head, "Director Sheppard didn't get Ziva from Mossad." The incredulous look on her face led Abby to believe that there was more to this.

"So, how did she get sent to us?"

"I had my boss requisition her, because of her intimate knowledge of the tactics, behaviors, etc. of a Mossad operative. Plus she was familiar with Haswari's personal intell. She was the right cog for the wheels to keep moving." The Major tilted her head from side to side, stretching the muscles there.

"So, you guys had her sent over to us… But why; if everyone was convinced Gibbs was off his rocker?" Abby was still confused.

The Major looked Abby directly in the eyes, "Because our report showed the brass that all intell pointed to Haswari having gone rogue. It was all in the predictability patterns… And the fact that you were the second target."

Now Abby was completely confused, "ME! What did I have to do with it!"

"Easy, he had mother rage issues… Since most of the Al Qaida and Hamas folks tended to go after those in power positions, and to them that automatically meant men. By sparing McGee, and Gerald for that matter, but seriously working to get you after already having taken out Kate, it totally tipped his hand to let us know what was really going down." The Major's matter of fact attitude towards her near assassination was seriously disturbing to Abby, but she figured this was a woman who dealt with death tolls on a regular basis, so her measly little murder attempt probably was trivial to the Major.

"Man… I guess I just don't get what it is that you really do… Because I never would have drawn that conclusion, and certainly not with that kind of speed." Abby just sat there shaking her head as she threw her own napkin down on the table.

"Well, it does come after years of careful study, research and experience." The Major slid out from the booth and stood up, reaching into her pocket for her wallet. She withdrew a couple of bills and laid them down on the table. "Think thirty will cover it?"

Abby gasped, "Well, duh! And then some, for sure."

Maj. Cassidy just smiled, "Then I guess they can apply the rest to a worthy cause… This really was a great break, Abby, thanks."

"Okay, but next time it's my treat… I have to try to make up for being such a jerk earlier somehow… And you buying me dinner just doesn't help out that way."

The Major straightened her sweater after she had replaced the wallet in her hip pocket. "Shall we?"

Abby jumped out of the booth and had her bag slung onto her shoulder in time to gesture towards the door, "After you."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Not much I can say about this one… It does all the talking for me. 

2nd A/N: Had some comments about some of this one being a little confusing… So, I added a little to the discussion in M.T.A.C. to clear it up

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At four o'clock in the morning the Major was still going strong, Abby was fast asleep in her office, and the rest of the free world was sleeping soundly; blissfully unaware of the things being done to keep them safe in such a turbulent world.

Some of that world would soon learn of this newest deed. The Major found that last piece of information she needed and it was time to call everyone in to get it taken care of promptly. "Time to call in the troops," was the only outward indication Maj. Cassidy gave that anything had changed. Then, she sent the alert through her computer that would begin paging everyone that needed to know. She also started copying her files to the flash drive so that she could take them with her. And with that thought, the Major realized she needed to try and salvage her uniform before giving her report in the Multiple Threat Assessment Center, otherwise known as M.T.A.C.

She stood up, taking off her sweater and checking to see how much of the incident from the previous work day would be visible under her dress jacket. She was satisfied that the smears would be hidden by her dress jacket, so she pulled it on and made herself presentable for the conference that she had already set into motion. She ran a careful comb through her hair, took a final inspection in the mirror behind her workstation and let out a quick breath, "About as good as you can do, Cassidy… Under the circumstances, anyway. Hopefully everyone will still be sleepy eyed and not notice." She gave herself a final disapproving look and turned back to the computer to find the files copied over, so she grabbed the flash drive and her cover from the tabletop before heading straight for the door.

The ride up in the elevator gave her some time to refine the opening dialogue she would need once everyone was in place. It also gave her time to get her security badge attached to her jacket properly, and to clear her throat from the twenty four hours of up time she had managed to accumulate so far. That was when she realized she had forgotten to tell her husband that she would be unavailable for a while, so she quickly brought out her cell phone and sent him a fast text message saying just that. She was just finishing the message as she reached the doors of M.T.A.C.

The officer on the door of M.T.A.C. asked for her ID and security badge. She handed them over and waited for him to clear her. "Major… Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yes, Lieutenant, but it is DOD secure." She took back the ID and badge as he handed them over.

"Aye, aye, Ma'am… Head on in, the COM is just coming online for the conference." Nodding at the young Marine, the Major entered the room and proceeded down the stairs into the gallery. There she was met by the image of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Commandant May.

Coming to full attention, the Major saluted the commander of her Corps, "Enough of that Cassidy… At 0415, I'd expect to see you in your PJ's. Much like I am."

"Sir, no sir… When I have been given mission, Sir, I am certain to see it through to completion. And with my sleep schedule, that sometimes means breakthroughs at 0400, Sir." The Major came out of attention, but remained at parade rest in front of the screen bearing the COM.

"Well, you might as well, take a seat, Cassidy… The old man will be slow going this time of morn-." The COM was interrupted by the image of the Secretary of the Navy coming online and making his presence known.

"I'd be more worried about your attire, May, then how fast this 'old man' is moving at this time of day." He then turned his focus on the Major, "Am I to assume that being summoned at this time of morning means you've made a breakthrough, Maj. Cassidy?"

The Major saluted the image of the SecNav, and then answered, "Aye, Sir. Just waiting for the rest to come online, Sir." Before she had a chance to explain anymore, the door to M.T.A.C. was thrown open and an obviously disturbed Special Agent Gibbs was entering the room.

The COM started laughing, "I only know one person who'd make an entrance like that… Gibbs, front and center, Gunny!"

Gibbs came down the stairs into the gallery and was now visible to the COM and the SecNav, "Yeah, well you try getting any sleep with one of these things buzzing in your ear." Gibbs was holding up what was left of his cell phone.

The technician beside the Major got her attention, "I have the Director and the CNO about to come online, Major."

She nodded her acknowledgement, "Sirs, we should be able to start the briefing shortly. If you'll excuse me?" She received nods from all concerned and went around to one of the terminal stations to plug in her flash drive. As she was booting up the drive, the Chief of the Naval Operations and the Director were both showing on the screens around them. The Major stayed at the tech station, "Thank you all for responding so quickly, and I apologize for the hour, but I was instructed to alert the full brass should I make a breakthrough during my analysis."

She received nods all the way around, "You should all be receiving a copy of my report, in its raw state, right now. In it, you will find that through a tremendous amount of database research and the natural thoroughness of a stateside supply Naval officer, we have determined the only possible source of the 'Night Markers' in question: the Fleet Operations Warehouse that was once located on the base in Norfolk. That part of the base was eliminated two years ago."

Once she was certain everyone was following along, she continued, "During the elimination, the Navy Department sold of many of the surplus, outdated and out of service items found in that warehouse upon inventory for closing the warehouse down. These items were auctioned off in lots, and the monies received were then returned into the general fund. Each lot was thoroughly labeled and inventoried for the auction and the DFAS auditors. Several of those lots were purchased by the same company. This was not flagged, due to the mundane nature of the items, and because these auctions are typically attended by surplus dealers. Contained in one of those lots were 'two crates of G-I-D Markers.'"

The COM interrupted her for clarification, "G-I-D, Cassidy?"

"Aye, Sir… More modern terminology for 'glow in the dark,' Sir." The man nodded his understanding, as did the rest of the parties assembled. "Upon further investigation, I was unable to find any matching entry for those two crates' arrival into the warehouse, Sirs. What I did find was the manifest record of 'two crates of loose flight deck markers' and the manifest also indicated that these crates were inspected by one Air Boss Cmdr. Stanley Wychovski before being sealed and sent to supply for return. The numbers on the cases matched from the auction lot to the original manifest. It would appear that when the Radium based markers were recalled, the Air Boss had them sealed and sent to supply for disposal, an entry in his deck ops journal coincides with this supposition. It is my belief that the clerk inventorying the warehouse two years ago, took a quick peek in the boxes, saw some markers, made a test swipe and saw that they did glow in the dark, and left them at that. Without the original manifest document, which is now in the archives, no one in this time period would have had any idea of the hazardous nature of the markers. Basically, Sirs, post-war relaxing of standards left some highly dangerous material sitting on a shelf for fifty plus years. It happens; especially with something that is so apparently innocuous as a couple of boxes of markers." She stopped so that everyone could have time to digest that information before she continued.

The SecNav was the first to speak, "So, Major… What you are saying, is that we sold those markers to the murderer?"

"In a manner of speaking, Sir."

The SecNav shook his head, "I never like it when one of the egghead set says those words… Let's lay it all out on the table, Major."

"Aye, Sir. The lot which contained the markers was purchased, along with several other lots by a single entity. Further investigation into the purchase revealed that the company responsible was a dummy. I could find no articles of incorporation listed in the United States or overseas, through some contacts at Interpol. There were also no proprietorships registered using that company name anywhere. Financial and corporate traces not being my specialty, I assumed that Special Agent Gibbs and his team would be able to further that part of the investigation without my assistance." She was about to continue when she noticed Gibbs pacing back and forth. The look on his face could have melted steel.

"That's it! I've had it!" Gibbs had thrown up his arms in defeat, but he quickly turned it into an attack, "I want to know right here and right damn now what the hell is going on around here." He looked at each one of them with an accusatory glare, "Well? You've got some kind of hot shot in here taking over MY investigation and you don't even have the common decency to tell me about it! You have her working behind my damn back and do not like it one bit!" There was steam practically coming out of his ears as he looked around the room waiting for someone to answer him.

The Major was the first to speak, "I assure you, Agent Gibbs, I was onl-."

"Stand down, Major." The COM interrupted her, "This one is mine…" He waited to get nods from the others present before he continued, "We Marines operate on a 'need to know' basis. And you should know that better than anybody, Gibbs. The Major did not 'need to know' WHY we sent her there, only that she was given a mission and she was to follow that mission through to its logical conclusion. And that mission, Gibbs? It was to use every tool in her arsenal to get you a suspect in the quickest amount of time possible. Now, you may not want to believe it, but this Marine is the finest there is in finding intell about pretty darn near everything, and there isn't a profiler in federal service that hasn't studied under her in the last ten years, including one of your former agents. In fact, this Marine has gone up to bat for NCIS, and your team in specific, on several occasions over the years. I'm sure your Director will back me up on this," He waited for Director Sheppard to nod, "And you wouldn't have been able to get that Israeli character without her express help either. She was the one who convinced me to send for Officer David to aide in his capture. In fact, before her report, there was talk of putting your sorry hide out to pasture for being too far off your rocker. So, before you go making an even bigger fool of yourself, you better get down on your knees and thank the Corps that Maj. Cassidy had never dealt with your ornery and unreasonable carcass until now, otherwise she might just have agreed with us back then." Gibbs was still fuming, but he was beginning to see there was a lot more going on around here.

The SecNav was the next to speak up, "Agent Gibbs, why the Major is there is irrelevant to the case at hand, and to be quite frank, well over your pay-grade. If you don't mind, I would like the Major to finish briefing us on her findings so that we might actually get a chance to close this case. As you should be well aware, we have a very narrow window of opportunity here, Gibbs, and I for one would like to the win go into our column for change…" When Gibbs did not object any further, the SecNav called to the Major once again, "Maj. Cassidy, if you would be so kind as to continue where you left off. I believe you had just told us where Agent Gibbs and his team might continue their investigation into the business records…"

The Major looked into Gibbs eyes to make sure she could continue, and when she found his resignation there, she returned to the computer terminal. "Aye, Sir… I put together a list of the databases I had already searched in order to speed things along for the next person, and they are also included in the report here."

She brought up the list and made sure everyone had taken note before she moved on to the next item, "After I hit the dead end there, I went back over all of my notes regarding the impressions I had gotten from the pictures, case notes and the small amount of evidence available to us and that was when something hit me as odd. Not only did I find divergent MO's, I also discovered that there were actually two crimes being committed with each incident. First, there was the stalking. Each of these victims' movements were well known to the UnSub, based on the methods used to abduct each victim. These people were studied over a long period of time by someone who was practically a sponge for details. This became conspicuously clear when factoring in Gunny Furmansky's case, because the Gunny was not a creature of habit. His years on the teams made him painfully aware of varying his patterns, and so the UnSub would have had to study him with such proclivity that it had to border on obsession. That kind of extreme attention to detail precludes the ability to murder, because it simply does not fit in the psychosis. So, along with divergent MO's, you have divergent crimes, which equates to divergent criminals."

That was too much for Director Sheppard, "Wait, are you trying to say we are dealing with more than one killer?"

The Major shook her head, "No, Madame Director… There is still only one killer, but if you look at the incidents as a whole, there is a lot more than murder happening in this case."

Now Gibbs' interest had been peaked, "What else did you find?"

"Well, first of all, each of the victims are linked to one another."

That was a bombshell, and all four screens, as well as Agent Gibbs were talking to her at once. Maj. Cassidy was not expecting such a chaotic response to her discovery. Gibbs held up his hands to the images on the screens, "Okay, wait a sec… We found no linking factors between any of the victims. How are you finding them linked?"

"To the UnSubs."

Gibbs was laughing this time, because he was not expecting such a rookie mistake to be made by this Marine, "Please tell me you have more than that?"

"Of course. Two UnSubs, with interlocking MO's, and interlocking personal connections to each of the victims. You were looking for something that connected each victim to each other victim, but with two UnSubs that's just a false premise." The Major pulled up a diagram from her report showing the interlocking connections, in two distinct patterns of each of the victims, with the notation of UnSub1 and UnSub2 in the nexus between the streams. "As you can see here, there are two very distinct patterns within the victimology of the whole case." With each person reviewing the diagram the Major took the time to set up the flash animation she prepared to demonstrate the next item.

Gibbs was pulling on the back of his neck, trying to figure out why he had not seen that before, especially now that it was ludicrously clear. "So, we got two guys out there, using their own relationships to pick victims, based on what?"

The Major was stopped in her preparations by Gibbs' question, "Hmmm… Well, not having the benefit of knowing who the UnSubs are, I would have to say that anger, rage, a sense of revenge over some perceived injustice are the likely motivators here, Agent Gibbs. Neither of your UnSubs are dealing with a full deck here, and one is a decidedly socio-pathic alpha male, while the other is most likely a developmentally challenged beta male." She brought up the flash animation, "And if you can all watch the screen, I will show you how the preliminary profile, while still applicable, has been altered to demonstrate our UnSubs." Just as everyone finished reading the original character trait list, the list was instantly morphed into two very different lists, labeled "UnSub1" and "UnSub2." The two lists showed these two men were completely different from one another, but at the same time, they perfectly complimented each other.

"My God…" Director Sheppard appeared to be in shock at the information contained in these lists, "Together they make the perfect killing machine."

"That was my conclusion as well, Madame Director. And if Agent Gibbs and his team are unable to apprehend these subjects, I fear they will never stop killing. I also have included in the report, that in my professional opinion, the F.B.I. would never be able to obtain the identity of the UnSubs due to the prevalence of secured military data, for which they have no access, nor any means with which to obtain that access. This would explain why they were able to make it to GySgt. Furmansky. They simply did not have the tools with which to make a case prior to his death." The Major waited for the assemblage to turn their attention to her, "Our subjects are members of the Navy family. Though I do believe UnSub1 has been discharged, most likely on a psych release." The faces of each person there was enough for Maj. Cassidy. Her work here was likely done, so now all she had to do was wait for the fallout and hope that Gibbs and his people could determine the identity of the subjects before the F.B.I. got control of the case.

She proceeded to remove her flash drive from the terminal and came back around the workstation to address the assemblage, "If you've no further questions for me?"

The Commandant was the first to break from the trance of thought they were all experiencing, "Questions? Not if you are certain of your conclusions, Cassidy."

"I'd bet my commission on them, Sir."

The COM chuckled at her confidence, "Sounds just like one of my Marines… Very well, Major."

The Major nodded, "Then I will return to my workstation and finish preparing my full report… You should have copies of it within the next two hours. Sirs?" She saluted, and waited for her orders.

The SecNav took the initiative this time, "Dismissed, Maj. Cassidy."

She then turned to the screen holding the image of Director Sheppard, "Madame Director… It has been a pleasure to assist your people in this case, Ma'am." The Major gave her a quick a click of the heels and turned to leave M.T.A.C.

When she reached the door, she was stopped by a single voice, "Thank you, Major." That voice belonged to Gibbs.

"It was an honor, Gunny," and she walked out into the lights of the corridor.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: If you were confused by the previous chapter, you might want to go back and re-read it. I fixed part of the M.T.A.C. briefing to explain things a little better. 

As for the rest of the story… Only a few more chapters left to go, so I hope you have enjoyed it.

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The Major was running through a final edit of her report when Abby noisily emerged from her office at 0730. Busy with her task, Maj. Cassidy failed to notice at first, but when Abby plopped down into her favorite chair she caught the Major's attention.

"Well, good morning, Sunshine." Maj. Cassidy greeted the normally perky Goth girl.

"Bite me," was her only response.

After a few minutes Abby was able to say something else, "I have no idea how you do that without ANY caffeine… It's just not… Natural." Maj. Cassidy just shook her head and chuckled.

Abby was now combing out her pig tails so she could at least look halfway presentable before going in search of her first Caff-Pow of the day. As she was putting the last tail back into place, she noticed someone exiting the elevator with Agent McGee. But better yet, McGee held in his hand her very salvation and she bolted for the door to get it just a little bit quicker.

The Major was a little taken aback by Abby's hunter stance, but she had heard the elevator doors and could only assume that someone had brought Abby one of her beloved beverages. When she threw open the doors, she hollered out at McGee "A-HA!" and caught him completely by surprise, judging by the yelp that escaped his lips, "Hand it over, Timmy and no one gets hurt!" He quickly handed the Caff-Pow to Abby before she pounced on him for real.

McGee had to recover from his shock quickly, as he had just remembered that he was actually on escort duty at the moment. He motioned for the Naval officer at his side to enter the room, "Don't worry, now that she has her caffeine, she'll be content for a little while." The officer chuckled a bit and entered the lab. "Morning, Maj. Cassidy… I found this waiting for you up in reception, and Gibbs got him clearance to come down."

The Major looked up to find the smiling face of her husband in the entryway. "Lt. Cmdr Cassidy… What brings you here?" She was trying very hard not to betray her delight at seeing him there.

"Laundry service, Maj. Cassidy… I was informed the Major was not following uni regs at her briefing this morning and that I had better high-tail it over here to remedy the situation." He held out a dry cleaning bag that obviously contained a fresh uniform for her to change into before her briefing this afternoon.

"And here I thought I had done a good job of passing it off… Guess the CNO must have dropped by Bethesda this morning to check in on his daughter-in-law?" Now it was the Major's turn to have a devilish expression on her face.

"Busted… S'okay though, I had to swing by the dry cleaners on my way in to work last night, so I already had it in the car." They stayed on opposite sides of the workstation while Abby and McGee watched their little dialogue. Abby looked at McGee with a conspiratorial air and they both smiled.

"Well, as soon as this file is finished sending I can close up shop and we can evac." She started putting the remaining files into the box on the table top and disconnecting some of her equipment. That was when a ding came from her computer, "And that would be the file. Let me just shut down the connection and the terminal, then we can get out of these fine peoples' way."

Her words and actions caught Abby completely by surprise, "Wait… You're not coming back?"

The Major did not even look up from her task to answer, "Profile's done, so it's time for me to pack it in and get back to the Pentagon… I've got a final briefing in M.T.A.C. at 1300 hours, but that should be the end of my involvement here… The rest is up to the pros."

Abby was once again close to tears, but McGee, sensing her pain, put a hand on her shoulder to help steady her, "But I liked having you around."

"This was fun, and it was great to finally get to meet all the people Kate had been talking about-."

Lt. Cmdr Cassidy stopped his wife from talking to ask, "Wait, these are the people she worked with?" The Major just nodded her head to answer, "Well, then I guess I should be shaking your hands." He turned around and took McGee's hand, "It's real honor to meet y'all. Katie talked about you folks all the time…" He then reached for Abby's hand, "And she thought an awful lot of y'all… And you just have to be Abby." The man was practically beaming with joy at getting a chance to meet them.

"Ah yeah, but how'd you know that?"

"Katie told us all about you, and I always had to wonder if she was exaggeratin' about some of them stories, but I'm guessin' that's not the case now." He just shook his head and chuckled. "But I have a question for ya… Did you really get her to wear that thing out in public?"

Abby gasped, "She actually told you about that!" They all had a good laugh about Abby's reaction, but it was cut short by the Major standing in front of the makeshift workstation with her metal case in hand. "You can't leave yet… I still need to make up for yesterday." Abby was now in full pout.

"Sorry, but duty calls. I'll be back this afternoon, and I'll be sure to come by the lab before I head out, okay?"

It was not okay, but Abby simply had to accept the fact that the Major had to return to her own job now. And she just nodded her head, trying to hold back the emotions that were threatening to break loose.

McGee put a hand on the small of Abby's back to offer her some comfort as they watched the Major and her husband walk out of the lab. When they reached the elevator, Lt. Cmdr. Cassidy took the case from her left hand, leaving her with a free one to take his arm as they entered the elevator on their way out of NCIS headquarters.

Abby heaved a deep sigh and leaned her head down on McGee's shoulder, "I'm really gonna miss her, Timmy."


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I'll be posting these last 4 chapters pretty quick… I finished writing it tonight, and I am really anxious to hear how it went for the readers :D 

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Striding through the bullpen, Gibbs was surprised to find Special Agent DiNozzo still at his desk, "DiNozzo, why are you still here? I could have sworn I sent you to go and pull those auction records from the archives."

Tony stood right up, "Right, Boss… And since you also told me to figure out something about that dummy company, I figured it was better if Ziva went over there to pick up the records that I had pre-pulled for her, and she's stopping by the personnel office at the Navy Department to get a list of servicemen at the warehouse for the five years prior to closing."

Gibbs sipped from his coffee cup, "And just what are you doing?"

"Well, I've been abusing my family connections trying to track down some intell on that dummy company. I've also found the auction house that handled the disposition, and just set up an interview with the two people who ran the auction." When Tony was neither interrupted nor struck in the back of the head, he continued, "I'm hoping they might have something in addition to the stuff at archives; like cancelled checks or something. Plus, I figure I can work to see if they remember any details from the auction itself; maybe help us flesh out our suspects."

"You had any luck tracking down the company yet?" Gibbs continued to draw on his coffee cup.

"No, I keep coming up empty, which is not a good thing… I think these guys just picked some random name and told the auction place they were with a company to hide their identities… But Boss, what I can't get my head around is why would they have been hiding two years ago, when the murders didn't start until thirteen months ago." Tony paused again to see if Gibbs was still paying attention, "Are we sure this Marine chick knows her stuff? I mean, it just seems pretty out there what she said in that humongous report of hers."

Gibbs gave Tony one of those questioning looks of his that always made Tony shiver, "Did you read the report?"

"Well, parts of it…" As Gibbs shot him an even deeper look, Tony buckled, "Okay, so I got the short version from McGee, but still… Two suspects seems a little out there to me. Serials just don't work well with others."

Gibbs turned to his desk and put his cup down on the top surface, "I might have agreed with you, if we were dealing with two serials… But we only have one killer here." Gibbs signed in to his computer and then looked around, "Where's McGee?"

"Ah, he got done with his escort duty and then was helping Abby get all the evidence and the files catalogued and put away." Tony sat back down at his workstation, "And he said something about running an algo-something or other from her terminal down in the lab. Said if you needed him to just page him."

Just as they were getting to work at their respective cubicals, Ziva David came barreling into the bullpen pushing a dolly with several boxes and a stack of thick manilla envelopes on it. "Tony, I know why you sent me over to the archives, and you better believe you owe me one." She was pushing a wayward strand of hair out of her face as she leaned back against her workstation.

Tony just flashed her one of those electric smiles of his, "Hey… You were the one who wanted to get out of here for a little while… I was just obliging."

She made an unhappy face at him and then turned to see Gibbs at his workstation, "Oh, Gibbs… Director Sheppard is looking for you… Said something about getting there before the cement on your boots was dry?" Her face was showing its confusion at yet another American phrase she did not quite understand.

"Right, Tony, you help Ziva with those files until McGee gets back, or you have your interview." Gibbs got up, grabbed his coffee cup and headed for the administrative level.

He was starting to regret not having grabbed that second cup when he had a chance, because his conversations with the Director always left him needing more coffee. When he reached the waiting area her assistant, Cynthia, motioned for him to walk right in. What he found inside made him certain he was going to need more coffee.

Seated in the Director's office was Jennifer Sheppard, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Secretary of Defense. This was not a good sign.

Director Sheppard was the only one to stand, "Agent Gibbs, would you close the door, please?" Gibbs did as he was requested and turned back to the assemblage with some hesitance. "Please take a seat, we have some things to discuss before this afternoon's briefing. Oh, and before I forget, I should introduce you to the Secretary-."

Commandant May interrupted her, "There's no need to introduce these two, Director Sheppard… Seeing as the Gunny spent a few days in the brig for decking the man, I think they are well acquainted." Director Sheppard looked positively ashen at the Commandant's statement and was hoping Gibbs had something to diffuse the situation.

"D'you ever get that tooth fixed?" Gibbs said as he took his seat.

The SecDef nodded his head and then said, "I hear that knot I gave you might have done you some good."

Gibbs smirked at the retort. "Yeah, well it wasn't the first time that was tried."

Commandant May stepped in to end the discourse, "And certainly not the last… Perhaps we should get this meeting underway before they start unzipping to see who wins again, shall we?" That statement might have caused most women to blush, but Jenn Sheppard had been around Gibbs for too long, she just chuckled.

"Gibbs, these gentlemen are here to check on the progress of the case so far, and to discuss some possible changes they want to make regarding this case… Among other things." Director Sheppard showed Gibbs her one tell when it came to giving him an idea of what is really going on. Most people might not have thought Director Sheppard would have a good poker face, but Jethro Gibbs knew better, and for her to show him even a hint of her hand made him acutely aware that he better be careful, since they had him at the table with the big boys today. _This might be a good sign afterall._


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Only 2 more to go after this one… Are you as anxious as I am? 

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Gibbs had gone straight from Director Sheppard's office to the briefing at 1300 hours, so he had missed all the fun of sorting through boxes of files searching for something that would link them to their suspects. The briefing had been short, but to the point. NCIS now had full control of this case, and the FBI was only there for support (and only then because they had started the case rolling). The SecDef had taken Maj. Cassidy's recommendation straight to the President and gotten authorization to override the Department of Justice's claim on this case. NCIS was in the optimum position to solve the case, and the FBI did not have access to the records they would need to get the job done without a direct mandate from Congress. After everything that he had witnessed today, Gibbs had good reason to have that little hitch in his step, which was odd, seeing as he had only had two cups of coffee since 0400 hours. He only hoped his streak of luck would hold out, and that his team would make a break in the case.

Once he got within sight of the bullpen, however, he had made the decision not to let his people know they no longer had such a tight time constraint. Watching Tony and Ziva trading volleys of waded up paper at each other gave Gibbs the impression that they needed the pressure more. He stood just outside the bullpen for a few moments, watching the paper battle ensue, and waiting for them to notice him for optimum effect. Ziva was the first to see him and she instantly turned white from the shock, "I certainly hope those aren't from the archive boxes DiNozzo?"

Tony looked like he was practically coming out of his skin, which was just the way Gibbs liked him. "Please tell me you are celebrating because you have something more for me… Otherwise, I show you both where the unemployment office is located." Gibbs round his desk and sat down, making sure to give them both the right amount of steely glare.

"Yeah, Boss… I uh… Well, I went and interviewed the auction house people, and they didn't really remember the people from the auction, but they did give me the cancelled checks. I've got ten checks that don't match up to entries from the auction manifest turned in to DFAS (which Ziva found in the stuff from Archives)… McGee is running the accounts down now." Tony was quickly running off everything he could think of to distract Gibbs from their little game, "Uh, how was the briefing, Boss?"

"Uneventful, since you still haven't gotten me my lead… What now?" Gibbs started working on his computer to try and keep his straight face going and intimidate the hell out of his agents.

"Well, we have the personnel records from the warehouse, but McGee thought there might be a database with the same info, so we were waiting to hear back from him, but I guess we could start going through them ourselves as well… Just in case the database doesn't pot out-."

"PAN out, David… Pan out…" Tony crossed to her desk and grabbed one of the manilla envelopes containing the personnel files. "I'll start with 2000."

Ziva also reluctantly grabbed one of the envelopes as Gibbs silently grinned to himself at his victory.

Not wanting his fun to end, he needed to also make McGee sweat, so he put in a page for the young agent to call in to the bullpen.

-----------------------------------

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP McGee's pager was going off, but he was completely entranced by the magic Maj. Cassidy was working on the keys of Abby's computer. It took Abby punching him the arm to finally notice the pager, "Oh crap!" He grabbed the pager and immediately looked around for the phone.

Abby spoke in an almost hypnotic tone, as she too was drawn in by what the Major was doing, "Who is it, McGee?"

"Who else? Gibbs." He grabbed the phone and dialed Gibbs extension, "Yeah, Boss… In the Lab working on those checks and this other thing… Well, it's really complicated… No, I'm not trying to call you stupid, Boss. I would never do that… No, I'm not stalling either… I've got a very complex program running trying to find a match between some personnel records and the names on those checks, and some other records… No, I'm not trying to be vague… Well, because I don't actually know what they are… No, Boss… Yeah… Well, the Major stopped by and she-… Yeah, she's the one at the keys right now… Well, it's my program and I have to change the varia-… Yeah, Boss… Got it." McGee just stared at the phone a moment, completely confused by the conversation he just had.

The Major called back to him, "Problems, Agent McGee?"

He turned around towards the Major's voice, "Uh?" When Abby looked at him, he had the most stupefied expression she had ever seen on McGee's face. "Oh, um… Well, not exactly… I think. Gibbs is on his way down."

"Well, then you better get in here and add this variable into your algorithm, because we just narrowed our search parameters again." The Major pushed back from the terminal to allow McGee room to work.

McGee slid in and was again amazed at how fast the Major was able to work within this environment, "Oh yeah, that will really speed it up now."

"Don't forget to flip that into Boolean, McGee… Otherwise it will spit that data out really fast, but it will look like Sanskrit, and I'm only good at Latin and Sumerian." She winked at the Major to show she was only joking.

"Uh? Oh yeah, no Sanskrit…" McGee obviously missed the joke, "Okay, that should do it, so let's start her up again." McGee executed the program again, just as Gibbs entered the lab to find all three of them crowded around Abby's prize computer.

"Is this some kind of geek fest, or can anyone join?" Gibbs smirked as he took a drink from his coffee cup.

Both Abby and McGee jumped at the sound of Gibbs' voice, but the Major just casually turned to Gibbs and shot her own remark in his direction, "Well, if this thing works like it should, you might have a suspect in the next five minutes."

Gibbs nearly spit his coffee out with his shock, "What!"

Before she could answer, the computer with which they were all working from let loose with a trumpet charge, Dada-dadadudah! "Or less than five minutes."

Now all four of them were crowding around the screen as the Major retrieved the files corresponding to the name match that McGee's little program had discovered. When she was stopped by a security screen she reached into her pocket and pulled out a digitized security key device. She removed the cover and placed her finger on the recognition pad, waited for it to chirp and then entered the device into the USB port of the computer and hit the randomizer button. "Such a mistrusting lot over there in personnel."

When the security screen showed that she now had access Abby simply could not contain herself, "I have GOT to get me one of those!" The Major only laughed at her comment and went about her task.

After another minute she had reached a second security screen, but this time she only had to push the button on the device again. Within seconds she was saving the files to Abby's terminal and sending them to the printer for Gibbs. "Ladies and Gentlemen…" She pressed a key on the computer and up came the picture of a sailor, "I give you the Beta Male, otherwise known as UnSub2."

Everyone just stared into the face of the young man on the screen. Gibbs was the only one to speak, "Well, I'll be a son of a…"


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: As much as cliffhangers kill me as a reader, they really are deliciously fun to write. 

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Dressed in the more formal "Blues" uniform, Maj. Cassidy felt less like she looked out of place in this plush and very austere office, but in her heart she still knew this was not a place most Marines got a chance to visit. She was standing in the office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon, and everything in there reminded her of that fact. The pictures of the Secretary vacationing with the President, the one on his desk with all the Joint Chiefs in the White House Press Room, the one on the wall behind his chair that showed him shaking hands with all the living, former Presidents, the award for his service during 9/11, the plaque from the heads of NATO on the shelf beside his desk. Everything screamed out to her that a simple Major in the Marine Corps should remember every single detail, because she was likely to never see it again, but at the same time she was afraid to come out of attention and turn her head. And by no means was she about to take a seat, unless the Secretary directed her to do so. Just when she thought her brain would explode with all of the possibilities for her being summoned into the SecDef's office the man came striding into the room.

The Major came to full attention and gave the SecDef a proper Marine salute. "Maj. Cassidy, reporting as ordered, Sir."

The SecDef simply took his seat and laughed at her fine attention to detail and protocol, "Enough of that Major… I know this is the Pentagon and all, but our time today will be much better spent if we can forget about all of that for a little while." He gestured towards one of the chairs, "Please, at ease, and take a seat… We have some talking to do, Major."

"Yes, Sir." The Major took her seat with fine military precision and laid her cover neatly on her lap, with the SecDef chuckling the whole time.

"I see that stuff is deeply ingrained into your psyche at this point, you don't even know how to let it go, huh?" He pulled out a folder from his center desk drawer. "Here ya go… I thought you might like to see the result of your work from last week, Major."

She leaned forward and took the folder from him, then glanced at the label; Furmansky et al. "Sir?"

"There will be a press conference this afternoon, but it looks like your assessment of Gibbs and his team was dead on, Major… They took both suspects into custody early this morning, catching them in the act of abducting their next victim. Looks like a slam dunk case, even for the U.S. Attorney's office." She started leafing through the pages to see what they had discovered since she left NCIS headquarters that day. "Seems your profile was also dead on… They had the one man under surveillance before you had reached the Beltway that day… Second one was ID'd less than twenty four hours later. Once they had all they needed to make an arrest that would stick, they moved in, and like I said, got 'em in the act."

After making a quick survey of the folder the Major looked up, "Sir, if the one man is Naval personnel, why is the U.S. Attorney prosecuting the case."

"Good catch, Major… Seems the boy was on his way out of service… He was on a mental health hold, and has been for more than a year… Personnel was just waiting for the paperwork to go through before giving him a psych discharge. So, in order to placate the DOJ, we threw them a bone and let him be tried as a civilian. That, and the other guy was drummed out some time ago, and the case is stronger with them being tried together." The SecDef leaned forward, "And in the interest of justice, we felt it was more important to get the killer convicted of a high crime, than the dupe." He leaned back again and casually threw to the Major one last compliment, "It would appear you were more than right about your 'UnSub2.' We don't even know how he got into the Navy. Psych has him with barely an eighty I.Q., and we're not even sure he understood all of what was happening after the abductions."

The Major thought about it a moment and nodded her head, "High functioning autistic?"

The SecDef looked a little thrown by her question, "I didn't give you the psych report… How'd you know that?"

"It was a consideration in my assessment and profile, but I didn't have anything to back up the supposition, so I refrained from including it in the report. I wasn't sure if the obsessive tendencies were pure psychosis or, in addition, a trait of autism." The SecDef just shook his head and chuckled.

"Well, I guess that pretty much cinches it for me, Maj. Cassidy." It was the Major's turn to stare at the SecDef with a look of surprise and confusion.

"Was there anything else of interest concerning my report, Sir?"

The SecDef had an almost playful expression on his face, "Well, it seems that your 'UnSub2?' He was the grandson of one Petty Officer Edwin Flanders serving under Cmdr. Stanley Wychovski, as one of his Deck Bosses. Talk about your intimate knowledge of Naval operations during WWII?"

This time the Major felt confident enough to join the SecDef in his laughter, "Well, sometimes I even surprise myself with those things."

Just as she was about to lean back in the chair a little the SecDef spoke up again. "Major, I have a few problems that you need to address for me."

"I'll do whatever I can, Sir." The Major was instantly straight backed again.

This time, his expression had passed playful and right on to devilish, "My first problem… Is with your uniform."


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thanks in advance for finishing this one… It really was a great joy for me to write it. 

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When Abby Scuito tried to walk down the stairs into the bull pen she was accidentally shoved aside by one of the many workmen that were suddenly invading NCIS headquarters. Some of them were toting file cabinets and shelving on dollies, others were carrying around various construction elements and a few had various office pieces in their arms as they made their way to and from the administrative offices. Abby carefully made her way down to the bull pen to see if anyone in there had a clue as to what was going on, because this was way too much activity not to peak her deeply curious nature.

When she finally reached her desired destination she found Tony and Ziva arguing about something and McGee was working on Gibbs PDA: again. McGee was her likely first target, since she was not about to be drawn into whatever silly argument was going on between Tony and Ziva. She had a mission, and it did not involve their ridiculous squabbling today.

She reached McGee as he sat at Gibb's desk trying to restore the PDA once again and bumped him with her hip to get his attention, "Abby, I'm trying not to fry this thing anymore than it already is so I can recover the data, so please don't distract me right now."

"Sorry, Timmy… But I need information, and you are my first and best hope at getting it." She crouched down to be at eye level with the tech savvy agent, "McGee, you know I don't like it when you're ignoring me."

McGee had had enough this time. Gibbs had basically told him if he did not recover that data, he was going to be looking for his head when Gibbs got done with him. He was also pent up from his experience with the suspects they had apprehended the day before, since he was forced to draw his gun on someone again. His only saving grace this time was that Gibbs was right beside him, and all he could hear were the words Gibbs had said to him before; "If you ever hesitant again, I'll shoot you myself." It had gotten him through the situation, but he was still feeling the after effects. And now, Abby was less than six inches away from him and he could feel her breath on his neck as she pressed in on him to get her request filled. He was about thirty seconds away from losing it completely.

"Timmy Tim Tim Tim… I NEED to know what is going on up there, and you are gonna find out for me, right?" She was smiling that smile, McGee knew it without even turning to see it. And as she spoke, he could feel her breath on his ear now, which meant she had moved in closer. He was able to make the final connection to the PDA, so he knew it was at least safe to set it down without damaging it. Without any warning, and with a speed that no one expected from the usually amicable young agent, Timothy McGee had finally reached his breaking point, and he turned his head and brought his hands up to grip Abby's head as he laid on her the deepest and most passionate kiss his soul had been screaming at him to give her.

When he pulled away, she was completely speechless, and more than a little breathless, "Figure that out for a while and leave me alone." He grabbed the PDA, got up and walked away to the sounds of Tony & Ziva's applause. All Abby could do was plop down on the floor behind Gibbs' desk with a look of complete and total shock on her face.

"Well, done, Probie! Bravo!" Tony continued to clap as McGee stormed to the elevators.

That was the moment Gibbs chose to enter the bull pen, not letting on that he had witnessed the whole thing, "DiNozzo, have you finished those final reports yet? Justice will be here shortly to pick up the full case files and they need that report."

"Right, Boss. One closed case report, coming right up." Tony quickly jumped back to work behind his desk, but stole a quick peek to see if Abby had moved yet.

"David.. You get those tapes of the interrogation copied yet?" Gibbs took a drink for his ever present coffee cup, still feigning ignorance.

"Sitting on your desk, Boss. The other set is in the files ready for the DOJ." Ziva tried desperately to motion for Abby to move before Gibbs saw her, but Abby was not in any shape to notice.

"Fine, then you can pick Abby up and take her down to the lab before the big wigs arrive to take our case off our hands for prosecution." Busted! Gibbs just smirked at their reactions.

Ziva did just as Gibbs requested and scooped Abby up off the floor and led her to the elevators. They had managed to get all the way down to the lab level before Abby said another word. "Whoa," was all that she said, but to Ziva it pretty much said it all. She led Abby into her office and set her down behind her desk.

"Are you going to be all right?" Ziva asked, but did not expect an answer.

She just stared blankly at nothing, but uttered, "Are my shoes still on?"

Ziva released a little laugh, "Barely, but only because they were laced up to your knees… If you'd had loafers on, they be in Tony's cubicle about now."

"That's what I thought."

Ziva waited another minute, but Abby was still staring off into space, so she decided it was time to get back upstairs. This was one show she did not want to miss.

When she came out of the elevators, she noticed everyone in the bull pen staring up the stairs to the deck in front of M.T.A.C.. She quickly made her way over to Tony, where she could get a better view.

Reaching his cubicle, she turned around and found the SecDef, the SecNav, and two of the Joint Chiefs talking to Director Sheppard. Beside them, in their own little protectorate was the F.B.I. Director, Section Chief Fornell, the Secretary of Justice and a few of the U.S. Attorney's office lackeys. There was obviously more going on than any of them knew about… Except maybe Gibbs, who was just sitting at his desk, paying the assemblage no attention whatsoever as he went through his email. Ziva elbowed Tony to get him to look at Gibbs, who was just as cool as he could be in the face of all that brass on the upper level.

That was when McGee chose to return to the bull pen with his attention down on another PDA, "Boss, I was able to download the data onto the server, so you should be able to retrieve it now from your desktop. I'll reload your data tonight onto the NEXT PDA… You think this one could last more than a wee-." That was when McGee looked up from the device to see all those people on the upper level. "Whoa."

"I've been hearing that word a lot today." She nudged Tony to emphasize her joke and he smiled one of those amazing smiles again.

Before he could say anything in reply there was a calling of attention to the upper level. Gibbs did not even look away from his computer, which led Tony to be suspicious. But his attention was being directed at the voice of the SecNav right now, "Listen up people… We've called in the rest of the agents from the building, so please make room for everyone. We're also teleconferencing this announcement to the field offices. I promise this will be a short announcement, but one that will be making a large impact on everyone here at NCIS."

McGee almost did not notice that everyone else was coming into the area, because all he saw was that Abby had returned to the floor. He was instantly replaying their last encounter in his head, and he suddenly realized that he had made a horrible mistake. There was a horrible lump in his throat right now, but his mouth was so dry he had no hope of swallowing it, even if he could. She was headed right for him, and he was ready to get the worst beating of his life. His heart was racing and was sure he was sweating right through his suit. She was walking closer now, and he cringed as she reached him. But nothing happened. In fact, she walked past him. At least, he thought she walked past him, but he was too afraid of turning around to see if that was the case. His agony was soon changed, when he felt her body leaning against his for a moment. She had just bumped him with her hip. He opened his eyes again and chanced a look beside him. Abby was standing right there, with her hands in her pockets, and there was nothing between them except their clothing. Either she was a horribly cruel woman to torture him like that, or… McGee did not have time to think about the or any longer, because the Director began to speak.

"Thank you all for being present for this announcement… I can promise you all, it is well worth it. And to explain all of this, I will turn this all over to the Secretary of Defense… Sir?" Director Sheppard stepped aside to the let the man address everyone assembled there.

The man cleared his throat momentarily and looked out on the people standing below him before beginning, "For many years, NCIS has done a thankless job for our country. They have kept sailors and Marines safe all over the world, and since 9/11, they have worked tirelessly to protect us all from terrorist activities. I'm sure each one of you has had the awkward and tiresome task of explaining just who you were working for, and each one of you has been disappointed to see the credit for something you have worked hard on go to another agency, time and again."

The SecDef waited until he could see the agreement from the agents in the crowd, "Well, I think you'll be happy with what we have accomplished here today, fast on the heels of your most recent, stupendous achievement in apprehending the 'Night Marker Killers'." He waited for the sound to die down after his little comment, "As of 0900 this morning, myself, the Secretary of Justice and the President of these United States signed into effect Executive Order 76-1092DJ, which gives NCIS full jurisdiction over any case involving all Defense Department personnel; military and civilian." This time he really had to stop because there was a furor of rumbling about that proclamation. Once it died out, he continued, "And to that end, we felt it was necessary, and high time NCIS had its very own Forensic Sciences Division. We are still haggling it out with the Appropriations Committee, but we have been given clearance to get the ball rolling. Fortunately, we already have someone to take over the reigns of this new and exciting development for NCIS." He turned behind him, and waited for the crowd to part, "I would like to introduce you all to Lieutenant Colonel Gwendolyn Cassidy, the new Director of Forensic Sciences for NCIS." Still in her "Dress Blues", but now bearing the markings of a Lieutenant Colonel, Gwen Cassidy stepped through the crowd and was met with thunderous applause.

Abby and McGee just turned to each other with their mouths hanging agape in total shock. Tony looked around to make sure it was not a joke. Ziva managed to get the team's attention, and she turned them towards Gibbs. Gibbs had not stopped looking at his computer, and then he took a drink from his coffee cup. Once he realized his team was staring at him he just looked around and said, "DiNozzo, clear these people out of here so we can get back to work, will ya?" Taking the last drink from his cup and tossing it into the wastebasket, "McGee, if you don't have anymore lip-locking to do in my bull pen, you think you can find me another cup of coffee?" They all just stared at him in complete disbelief that he was not even the least little bit phased by the events that had just transpired.

"Boss, did you not just hear what was going on in here?" DiNozzo was the first to speak up.

"I heard it… So?" He was completely straight-faced for this one.

"We just beat the Fibbies by Presidential Executive Order, Fornell got his butt handed to him in front of every NCIS agent alive, Justice has to play by our rules, and all you can say is 'So'?" It was McGee's turn this time.

Gibbs appeared to be thinking about it a moment, then he leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head, "It's to be expected…" He kicked his feet up on his desk and struck that very familiar lopsided grin, "What? Didn't anyone ever tell you? The SecDef cheats."


End file.
